I never forget a face but in your case I think I'll make an exception :)
I never forget a face but in your case I think I'll make an exception :)
Member since:31.08.2002
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\\THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW//
Genre : Action/ Drama Duration : 124 minutes Rating : 12 A Direction : Roland Emmerich Cast : Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok, Jay. O Sanders, Sela Ward.
\\ INTRODUCTION//
A modern day disaster movie with Hollywood big budget special effects, yeah I'll have a piece of that. I saw this trailored at one of my jaunts to the cinema and it immediately appealed to me. Disaster movies are a tricky genre, even the most noted such as 'The Poseidon Adventure' and 'The Towering Inferno' haven't exactly gone down as classics. Aside all of this, I was still hopeful, Jake Gyllenhaal (a male lead) starred in one of my favourite ever movies 'Donnie Darko' and with Hollywood maturing 20 years or so since the last big time disaster flick, I was sure this movie would be a big hit. Was I right ?
\\STORYLINE/ PLOT//
Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is an obsessive climatologist, so much so he's dedicated his life to his work with detrimental consequences to his relationship with his Son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal). His lifes work tells him that an environmental disaster is looming near and tries to convince the politicians at a World summit but is patronised and scorned at in the cliched way politicians do. He isn't deterred and he isn't alone in his beliefs either, a Scottish weather expert (Ian Holm) has been noticing changes in tidal patterns in the North Atlantic and thinks Jack Hall's prediction could
become reality quicker than anyone anticipated. Indeed they do, hailstones the size of footballs cause havoc in the Far-East whilst a series of whirlwinds wipe Los Angeles off the map (all captured live by modern day main-stream news channels). The politicians still think these events are isolated phenonemon and refuse Hall's continued pleas for emergency contingency plans. That is until a big freeze, the second ice-age, slowly but surely drifts South from the North Atlantic first engulfing Scotland and the Northern land blocks then spreading into the Northern U.S States where it finally reaches New York. This event among events is symbolic because it is the stage for virtually the whole of the second half of the film. Besides the facts the Statue Of Liberty has giant waves lapping around it (and miraculously it stands) and a flood has engulfed Manhattan, more importantly (in terms of the films characters) Jack's son, Sam has found himself a victim of the sudden turn of events. Jack lies in relative safety in Washington and finds that his sons terrible predicament can finally give him the opportunity to act like a Father rather than a Scientist. You see their relationship has suffered through the years, Jack's career obsession has seen him offer Sam nothing but constant let-downs and rejection. Can Jack save Sam in his hour of need, become a hero in his sons eyes, something he's never been up until this point and with the elements (his speciality) completely against him in the process ? It's a tall order !
\\ACTING/ CHARACTERISATION//
This is a film which suffers heavily in the acting department, this is down almost completely to the fact that the special effects take centre stage. The effects are the real star of the show and overshadow everything else, Quaid and Gyllenhaal (the two leads) never got to show their true acting prowess which they both undoubtedly have. Other than the two main leads, the acting support was thin on the ground. Only a cameo from Ian Holm offered a diversion from mediocrity. Is this a by-product of disaster movies and why so few have been made ? I don't believe so, effects and acting can offer a good mix, it depends on the blend. In this case I believe it was directional failures. The only strong relationship created in the film was Jack/ Sam (Father/ Son) and even that lacked emotion. Character building in the film lacked severely resulting in a lack of warmth felt towards them and in a film over two hours long, that's a huge stumbling block.
\\DIRECTION//
The effects in this film are startling, even jaw dropping at times and in that regard the film requires some well deserved praise. Obviously big bucks have been thrown at the effects but they were well spent because they were fantastic. The film is worth seeing for the special effects alone. Where the film fails is the lack of decent characters resulting in the lack of feeling audiences would have for the characters fates. Good dialogue isn't in evidence and from where the effects become sparse, the film falters and stutters, struggling to keep the momentum going (at a time when serious acting should have come into play). There are a lot of wasted scenes and unneccessary side issues. The director took a risky decision by concentrating on the Father/ Son relationship hoping it would carry the film and in my view because this exact relationship is limp and that the director put all his eggs in one basket, the film slowed up and never recovered. The risk didn't work, it could have with a better script and performances and maybe if the film focused on wider issues rather than concentrating on a mere speck of disaster in a World of tragedy we could have had a real classic on our hands. Emmerich responsible for 'The Patriot' and 'Independence Day' in the past, flatters to deceive, he promises a lot and has excellent resources but too many times he misses the bulls-eye. His films are eye candy, all flashy and impressive effects but the important things get missed out such as acting performances (support as well as leads), characterisation as well as a lack of use sound, colour and inventive camerawork. Emmerich did try a few political and symbolic scenes with the use of an intended Dick Cheney lookalike as the Vice President along with the Hollywood sign being whipped away and the Statue Of Liberty appearing undaunted against the ruthless onslaught of ice and water but to be honest these scenes were but weak resistance against the overall flaccid feel the film emitted.
\\CONCLUSION//
I said in my intro that I thought this film had the makings of a classic and whilst the effects are seducing, in the end it was far from a classic. It failed to deliver it's premise and while it is certainly worth watching, it will be remembered for the effects only and as time moves on, doomed to obscurity. If the characters were built and had better dialogue to get their teeth into and the plot lines could compare to the effects it could have delivered (maybe even considered groundbreaking) but with only one aim fulfilled, it simply didn't work. If nothing else the film raises awareness of environmental issues but in the end I was disappointed as I left the Cinema door.
A missed opportunity
==============
WormThatTurned2004
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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...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business 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: Great special effects and good interesting characters. Disadvantages: I wasn't to keen on the ending and also felt that some things were cut out.
![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]")
![The Day After Tomorrow (Special Edition) [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78483817.jpg "The Day After Tomorrow (Special Edition) [DVD] [2004]")
Jul 12th, 2004
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (98%):
