Did not meet expectations

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2004)

I saw this film for my birthday and wished I had picked a different film instead. Coming from the makers of Independence Day, I expected a film of equal caliber and so I went excitedly to the cinema. I was sadly disappointed. The acting was not up to par and a little flat for all except Jake Gyllenhaal (actually saw some emotion from him) and Arjay Smith (he had the funniest line about being the biggest geek). The CGI wolves were not realistic and were quite obviously computer generated. The storyline was also not believable as portrayed. Yes, global warming is an issue but I do not believe it would occur as laid out in this film. For example, why did only the Northern pole begin to melt? What about Antarctica? Isn't it affected by global warming too? And the ship in NYC would have needed more space, unless the library they were in is not the same one I visited, it just would not fit. I did however, like a few of the scenes for their cinematography. The tornado cluster in LA was well done and reminded me of Twister. The other piece was when the 3 helicopters went down. The person who instantly froze upon opening the door was quite believable and well done. Though I am not a professional film critic, I would say this film only deserve 5 out of 10 stars and that is mainly due to the cinematography and the two actors mentioned above. Sadly, I do not recommend spending the money to see this at a full price cinema, maybe when it comes to DVD or to one of those inexpensive cinemas that shows films a few months old if you must see it on the big screen. Thanks.