CORPORATE LINE: This movie takes a big-budget, special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster, including multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, floods and the beginning of the next Ice Age. At the center of the story is a paleoclimatologist (a scientist who studies the ways weather patterns changed in the past), Professor Adrian Hall (Quaid), who tries to save the world from the effects of global warming while also trying to get to his son, Sam (Gyllenhaal), who was in New York City as part of a scholastic competition, when the city was overwhelmed by the chilling beginnings of the new Ice Age. In addition to all of the other challenges Dr. Hall faces, he’s also going against the flow as humanity races south to warmer climes, and he’s nearly the only one going north.
THE GOOD: The Day After Tomorrow is a feast for the eyes. Absolutely astonishing visual effects dominate this film and actually out perform any of the characters. Including vicious tornados in L.A., a tsunami in New York City, and a blizzard that covers half of continental North America. It’s all done so well that you start to worry just a little that it might happen and it’s those scary on screen visuals that terrify are also the only reason this film entertains.
THE BAD: Sub-plot after sub-plot come and go without any soul. Professor Hall’s wife becomes a sub-plot, as does their divorce that is inconsequential to the film. The plot of the son being away and for dad to make a quest to save him is flimsy. The entire storyline felt held together with tape and left over gum.
DVD FEATURES: The deleted scenes are boring. The audio feature about British helicopters made no sense. The commentaries are not exceedingly excitingmaybe it has a lot to do with the fact that this movie is weak. Writer/Director Ronald Emmerich and producer Mark Gordon are up first on the commentary. What is most striking isn’t the discussion of the film, but Gordon’s swearing. The next commentary is from co-writer, director of photography, editor and production designer. It’s less on the entertainment side and more on the point of how they made the world over with destruction. It’s a bit more entertaining than the first commentary.
FRANKLY: The Day After Tomorrow ends with a line—no spoiler—that seems to give it all away—no not something so profound that you leave wanting to save the environment, but one that makes you wonder who’s agenda we are watching on screen. Perhaps John Kerry will find a way to use this for his election since GWB is mister fossil fuel himself. Regardless of agenda, The Day After Tomorrow is a tootsie roll tootsie pop—it has the solid yummy outer shell of hard candy but inside the entire tootsie roll has been sucked out.
+ Charlie Craine
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