Fair As A Summer Blockbuster But Still Flawed

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2008)

If I ever get a job as a screen writing guru I shall tell my students that under no circumstances should they write an environmental thriller . Films with a message that we're destroying the planet do not make good cinematic ventures . NO BLADE OF GRASS is annoyingly sententious but is still compelling due to John Christopher's source novel . SOYLENT GREEN is poignant but much of that's down to it being Edward G Robinson's last movie . Do I need to mention Steven Segall and his pathetic attempts to entertain while educating us and failing at both ? I don't think I do
The problem with THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is that its trying to do two things at once . Both entertain the audience and get them to think about global environmental disaster . One can't help thinking that if there wasn't so much debate about climate change then the producers would have made a much simpler movie . Unfortunately by taking the film so seriously a critical audience are able to recognise the scientific implausibilities along with the stupidity of the characters . Of course there's little wrong with having stupid characters in films because many genres like horror rely on this to further plots , but even so you can't help noticing a lack of internal logic
Another problem is that the film does feel a bit too epic in its scope . We're shown events happening in The South Pole , India , North America and Scotland . Personally I would have preferred a much more intimate film with less locations and characters . This is the strength of the 1970s disaster movie where the characters are drawn up early in to the film so the audience can clearly cheer the hero whilst booing the villain
I rated THE DAY AFTER Tomorrow six out of ten which means I didn't think it was a bad film . But I'm sad to say this could have been a much better one if the producers had focused the story more while making things a little less serious