Reaffirms my faith in the stupidity of humankind

Rating: 4/10 (28 May 2004)

This movie does wonders to reaffirm one's faith in the stupidity of humankind. I'm not referring to the movie's "message" about how politicians are ignoring the dangers of upsetting the delicate balance of our global climate. I'm talking about the stupidity of every character in the movie, including the "smart" ones. And the stupidity of the people who'll tell you how great the movie is.
Even if you accept the rather improbable notion that a phenomenon that only a few people on the planet understand is capable of producing the effects described in the film in a matter of days, it's still full of stuff that's impossible to swallow... unless you figure that everyone involved is an idiot. (spoilers ahead!) Even an LA tourist would have the sense to go for cover when a tornado is bearing down on them. The government of Mexico wouldn't even think about closing their border to a wave of refugees sent by the government of their militarily-superior neighbor to the north. The President of the US wouldn't be the last one to evacuate DC; as a matter of national security he'd be among the first. And so on.
I recommend renting the DVD, fast-forwarding through all the parts with human actors, and admiring the disaster scenes. The rest of the movie is a disaster as well, but not as entertaining to look at as the HOLLYWOOD sign being ripped apart or the Statue of Liberty going wading.