By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-19 23:16:58 | Updated at 2025-01-01 00:22:52
1 week ago
La Palma has captured the attention of viewers worldwide and catapulted itself into the top 10 on Netflix - but is the thrilling series based on some truth?
The drama-filled limited series, which is currently ranked number 4 on Netflix, is set on the Canary Islands, and follows a young scientist, a team of geological researchers, and a family of four as they face a natural disaster.
The groups find themselves fighting for survival after a volcano eruption threatens to cause the largest tsunami the world has ever seen.
La Palma, which is one of the Spanish islands situated off the coast of northwest Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, is very real place. La Palma is a popular destination for nature lovers, with beautiful scenic hiking trails, volcanic landscapes, and spectacular beaches.
The area is also home to Cumbre Vieja, which is the most active volcanic ridge in the area. While it is true there's a volcano that has erupted recently, it did not cause a tsunami.
The disaster depicted in the series isn't based on a real life event - but rather a scientific theory.
Cumbre Viej last erupted in 2021, which lasted for three months and caused extensive damage. At the time, NPR reported it destroyed: 'Around 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems and cut off roads.'
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the theory that collapsing volcanoes could generate massive ocean-wide waves known as 'mega-tsunamis' isn’t new.
La Palma has captured the attention of viewers worldwide, and catapulted itself into the top 10 on Netflix - but is it based in some truth?
A study published by Geophysical Research Letters in 2001 hypothesized that in a future eruption, the Cumbre Vieja Volcano may collapse into the ocean which could trigger a landslide motion and subsequently produce tsunami waves.
However, the theory was questioned the following year in 2002, when the editor of the journal Science of Tsunami Hazards, George Pararas-Carayannis, wrote: 'The threat of mega tsunami generation from collapses of oceanic island stratovolcanoes has been greatly overstated. No mega-tsunamis can be expected.'
True story or not, the series has divided opinion among those who have watched it, with many sharing their critiques on social media.
Some weren't a fan of what they watched and didn't hold back with their gripes.
One wrote on X: 'Oh dear… shockingly bad in so many ways. Acting and overdubbing very poor, scenes cheap and nasty and the plot cringeworthy. Based on some hypothetical scenarios, but these are stretched beyond fiction.'
Another added: '#LaPalmaNetflix waste of time.'
A third chimed in: 'La Palma on Netflix had some good but also bad plot moments.'
Others were a huge fan of the series.
The groups find themselves fighting for survival after a volcano eruption threatens to cause the largest tsunami the world has ever seen
The disaster depicted in the series isn't based on a real life event - but rather a scientific theory
Cumbre Viej last erupted in 2021, which lasted for three months and caused extensive damage. Pictured is the erupted in 2021
One user wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: 'I don’t understand the hate, I was fully locked into this show and loved it!'
A fifth chimed in on X: 'Unpopular opinion, I actually enjoyed La Palma on @netflix.'
A sixth tweeted: 'La Palma on Netflix is a good show.'
La Palma stars Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Anders Baasmo and Alma Günther.
Other stars include Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Jenny Evensen, Amund Harboe and Jorge de Juan.
The drama is written by Lars Gudmestad and Rosenløw Eeg and directed by Kasper Barfoed.
