Great Science Fiction - Hope that it Remains Fiction

Rating: Null/10 (1 December 2005)

One of Roland Emmerich's best films. The first thing I would like to say that this does not fall under the category of a "disaster" movie. Most of the disaster movies from the 1970s seem designed to scintillate the viewer for the sake of entertainment. This film should be considered science fiction and although it is scintillating, it does not do so for the mere sake of entertainment alone, but rather, to deliver a message about the inherent consequences of damaging the various components of earth's ecosystem. Hence, it is an example of speculative fiction that discusses a possible outcome of global warming as it affects the overall weather mechanisms, in this case, an example of a possible ecological and meteorological consequence if the delicate balance (in this case, in terms of oceanic freshwater and salinity ratios)within the ocean currents is drastically changed (in this case, by excessive polar ice melting) altering the heat capacity of the North Atlantic current as a result. The probability of this happening is very remote, if not totally nonexistent. However, phenomena such as this still remains a subject for further research due to the fact that much of the supporting data is brand new. Climatologists and other earth system scientists have generated a number of different Global Circulation Models (GCM) in order to explain the subtle patterns underlying earth's climate and much remains under study. Before the 1980s, no one was aware of the ongoing destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere represented by the "hole" over Antarctica. . The ozone layer in the stratosphere is critical to life on earth's surface because it filters out excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Before the work of Crutzen, Molina and other specialists, atmospheric scientists were at a loss for understanding how this could be happening in the stratosphere. As it turns out, a vortex effect underlies the transport of halogenated hydrocarbons to Antarctica where it is dark six months out of the year. The release of halogens occurs when incoming sunlight reacts with the compounds releasing the halogens to react with molecular ozone to generate gaseous oxygen. Now, with the banning of CFCs, there seems to be a chance that the overall ozone can be restored to its normal level. Once again, this is still subject to further research.
Again, the film's premise is wildly fantastic and probably far-fetched. However, it provides an excellent speculative example of what could possibly happen if we ignore the danger signs that we can witness from changes in the weather. Many scientists believe that the deadly hurricanes hitting the American South (such as New Orleans) are the result of warmer ocean water which could also be the consequence of global warming. We need to think about this very carefully. If we choose to ignore these danger signs, we do so at our peril.
I would like to add that one of the most moving scenes in the whole movie was when one of the refugees was embracing and protecting a Gutenberg Bible inside the library. As the refugee comments, one of the turning points in the history of civilization was the creation of the first book which was critical for the development of the Age of Reason. Imagine holding a copy of the first book ever printed !!! I personally don't know how I would react if I came in contact with something like a Gutenberg Bible, but I would probably be moved to tears and treat it reverently. Being a Christian believer, the Gutenberg Bible would probably hold me in awe. But in the movie, in the course of trying to keep warm under incredibly dire circumstances, sometimes by burning books at random, it was still possible to maintain a sense of one's own humanity, spirituality, courage, and reason in trying to preserve the most precious creation of the past millennium and indeed, a hallmark of Western Civilization.
Movie Rating 10/10.
Dan Basinger