The Day after Tomorrow
RATING: 7/10

Review Date:        May 29, 2004
Director:             Roland Emmerich
Writers:              Roland Emmerich
Actors:                Dennis Quaid as Jack Hall
                           Jake Gyllenhaal as Sam Hall
                           Emmy Rossum as Laura Chapman
Audience of Choice:                 Action/ "End-of-the-World" Movie Fans
Year of Release:  2004

STORYLINE: 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 (I don't quite get the science of that one), 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...

MY REVIEW: If you want a huge blockbuster movie that piles on outrageous situations, layers upon layers of special effects, and not-stop action, then this movie is for you. Same goes for me. Although I do have my fare share of complaints, there aren't enough to suggest this movie is in any way bad. Everything you get in this movie is what you would expect, and more. Many complained about my review of the movie VAN HELSING, but I stick by my review. Many of my irritations of that movie were things the director could have easily edited out, yet didn't. With this movie though, the complaints anyone might have are things they should have come to realize before even viewing it. After such movies as Independence Day and Godzilla, everybody should know that Roland Emmerich likes to direct movies that are very long, have tons of CGI, non-stop action, as well as all the obvious cliches and stereotypical characters. This movie is no different. In fact, its even more so. More special effects, more action, and more cliches too.

      The difference between this movie and Van Helsing is that I know Stephen Sommers(director of Van Hesling and The Mummy) can do better. I have come to except that Emmerich cannot. He does what he does best, and succeeds in that way. The main thing I love about this film was the various situations: tornados, giant tidal waves, hail the size of basketballs, and more. In fact, they went a little too far actually. They also decided to add in some wolves. Why they chose to do this I do not know, but I do know that I could have done without it. The action here is top-notch, heavily aided by the incredible special effects. The acting is another plus. Jake Gyllenhaal is a very likeable character, and is one that you actually care about not dying. Dennis Quaid also did a nice job. In fact, even the secondary characters showed off their acting skills quite a bit. In my opinion, acting is something that really helps action movies. It gives them more dimensions. It seems that Hollywood only likes to use good actors in dramas, but The Day After Tomorrow proves what actors with skill can do in action flicks.

      Before I finish up, I just want to quickly point out the cliches and irritations, which slightly got on my nerves. What Emmerich has done in every single one of his movies is introduces a character briefly for at least a mintue or two just before letting them have it. He can't just have a random person die, but he has to get you to connect with the character, and THEN kill them off. If you ask me, that's kind of sick. Another complaint I have is the cliched love interest and annoying father-son story. They just have to have that damn love interest, don't they? And that father-son aspect has been done soooo many times before. Not only that, but after watching the movie, I realized something. I compared this movie to other "End-of-the-World" flicks, and they have practically equivalent characters. There is always a street-wise bumb, one smart character that isn't the main star, a couple of side characters that need helping, and a father-son story. Maybe this isn't 100% accurate, but it is at least 80% accurate. Even so, this movie is an exhilerating action adventure with numerous disaster events that always entertain, and just how can you complain with that?

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