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Member since:09.06.2004
Reviews:66
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The Day After Tomorrow is not, by anyone’s standards, typical Hollywood fare. I mean sure, they churned out some weather horror stories (most notably The Perfect Storm), but to turn global warming into a top 10 film worldwide and to make it an action flick on top of that, is no easy feat.
The film, written and directed by Roland Emmerich stars Dennis Quaid as Jack Hall, a paleoclimatologist who’s area of expertise concerns weather changes in the past, such as those that lead to the last Ice Age. In the capacity of the film, which deals with the dawn of a new Ice Age triggered by global warming, his job is to try and figure out a plan of action and determine what the storm will do next, since nobody saw this coming so soon, including himself. In the context of the film’s subplot, he is father to a teenage son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has just left for a school trip to New York when these mega storm cells erupt. Jake is stranded when the weather system from hell breaks, right in the middle of the “freeze” zone, where stepping outside will mean instantaneous death by freezing
(talk about a novel way to go!) He promises his son he’ll come and rescue him and his two friends, Laura and Jason (Emmy Rossum and Dash Mihok), and so he sets off on an epic journey to walk to New York to save them.
Overall, the first hour and a half of the movie is quite cool (no pun intended). The film manages to show the politics and skepticism about global warming, illustrated through the US Vice-President, who looks suspiciously like Dick Cheney, but also a sense of humor when showing snowfall in New Delhi (as a resident, trust me on the utter absurdity of the idea). It doesn’t shove the political aspect of the issue, but does make light of the fact that the scientists are often ignored. As the plot commences, there is a sense of urgency as the climatologists take center stage and attempt to puzzle out the reasons behind bizarre weather occurrences, 13 degree dips in ocean temperature, and deduce a pattern and a prediction from this data. You genuinely get caught up in the situation; feel the adrenaline rush, as a part of you morbidly wonders what this would really be like. As the freezing of the Western Hemisphere begins, there are some pretty nifty special effects of RAF helicopters crashing in Scotland because the fuel in their tanks has frozen, and one particularly memorable shot is of a soldier sticking his hand out, only to freeze to death instantaneously. It’s graphic, yet gripping. By the time you get to tidal waves ripping through New York and images from the space station of the Earth covered in three massive storm systems, you’re on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen to humanity. One aspect I particularly liked is how this intense, action mood is tempered by the sheer amusement value of American citizens fleeing illegally into Mexico.
Unfortunately enough, this film is also tempered by another quality: sap. You can pinpoint the turning point when the movie turns from cool to so-so, when Hall and his divorced wife (Sela Ward) get a call from Sam, who’s stranded in the New York Public Library and trying not to drown. Hall feels guilty for all the moments he hasn’t been there for his son due to his penchant for visiting exotic locales such as Greenland, and so decides to walk to New York in his arctic gear. His wife is a pediatric oncologist, and vows to stay with a little boy who is recovering but who’s parents cannot be reached, turning away her seemingly last moment to escape to freedom to stay with him. If this weren’t bad enough, there’s also a spot of romance thrown in for good measure, which blossoms slowly between Laura and Sam (he fancies her, and is the reason he’s in New York in the first place). Just as I thought the director/writer couldn’t do much worse, he did. In a reconnoitering mission to get medicine for Laura, who is suffering from septicemia, the boys get attacked by wolves, which escaped from the public zoo. Possible, but not believable. There are also bits of the ending that I won’t give away here that put the final nail in the coffin of this film.
Final opinion:
I did enjoy the film, and I think the message is worthwhile. We only have one planet, and if we keep f*ing around, one day, our actions will come back to haunt us, perhaps sooner than we may expect. The special effects are rather cool, and the music is suitably dramatic. Yet the director didn’t seem to be confident enough that this angle alone would carry the film, so he tossed in all sorts of other rubbish to make sure the film had something for everyone. It’s still a good film, worth seeing, but you have been warned that after a while, you will be disappointed.
ps: I have not seen other films from this director, hence the n/a if anyone is wondering
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Turning pressing environmental issues into the theme of a big summer blockbuster, you cant ... more
say that director Roland Emmerich isnt willing to take his chances. And whileThe Day After Tomorrowdoes ask you to suspend fair chunks of disbelief, it is both a...
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boasts pulse-pounding action and sensational mindblowing special effects. When global warming triggers the onset of a new Ice Age tornadoes flatten Los Angeles a...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
From the Director of Independence Day comes a spectacular roller-coaster ride that boasts ... more
pulse-pounding action and sensational, mindblowing special effects. When global warming triggers the onset of a new Ice Age, tornadoes flatten Los Angeles, a tida...
Turning pressing environmental issues into the theme of a big summer blockbuster, you cant ... more
say that director Roland Emmerich isnt willing to take his chances. And whileThe Day After Tomorrowdoes ask you to suspend fair chunks of disbelief, it is both a...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Looks fantastic, Decent soundtrack, easily enjoyable for the weather effects Disadvantages: The story line is so bland and one dimensional, You couldnt care less about the characters
![The Day After Tomorrow - Two Disc Edition [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78519533.jpg "The Day After Tomorrow - Two Disc Edition [DVD] [2004]")
Jun 11th, 2004
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