DAY AFTER TOMORROW : Terribly Clichéd Story Picked Up A Bit By Top Notch Effects...

Rating: 6/10 (15 June 2006)

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
Roland Emmerich's roller-coaster ride of Global Warning terror is every bit as over-the-top as you could imagine. From the first previews of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW it was clear the audience was in for a disaster film to end all disaster movies. The destruction of the world as we know it. The problem is, seeing the movie adds little to no emotional weight to the "ooo's" and "aaaah's" we experienced when we first got a glimpse of the trailer.
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW takes place on a day when Global Warming strikes the entire Northern Hemisphere. Only a handful of scientists are aware of the oncoming slaughter before hand and as a result half of America is trapped with no place to run from a deadly storm that includes tornadoes, blizzards, floods, hail, and sub-zero temperatures. Stuck in a public library with a few of his friends is Sam Hall (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), the son of leading American climatologist Jack Hall (played by Dennis Quaid). Here's the shocker though, they have an estranged father/son relationship and Jack must travel across the frozen wasteland that was once the northern USA to save his son.
The main problem with this film is that the emotional center is painfully contrived. Why couldn't they have gone against the loop and had the father/son actually be very close? It would have given the film a fresh, less-familiar tone. Every time the film tries to delve into the drama of Jack and Sam's relationship I couldn't help but roll my eyes. One of my biggest pet peeves with movies is when I can tell the director is trying to make his audience cry, instead of just telling an honest story.
Unfortunately, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is filled with scenes like that. To name a few:

The scene with Jack in the tent talking about getting to his son. - The random cancer patient Sela Ward has to stay with through the storm (apparently there is only 1 patient who couldn't be moved and he just happens to be a 12 year old child?) - The death of Dennis Quaid's long-time friend

All of these scenes dragged the film to a screeching halt for me as I had to excuse myself to laugh at the lame-ness.
However, what THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW promised to deliver on (crazy action, fantastic effects, overwhelming danger) it succeeds at wildly. The sequences where the storm first approaches are nothing short of phenomenal. Especially the flooding of New York. All of these scenes don't even try to ground themselves in reality... they embrace the over-the-top edge to this story. It is these extensive action scenes that manage to keep the film alive despite the tiresome and clichéd story.
As usual, Dennis Quaid manages to make more of the material then it deserves. However, Jake Gyllenhaal, though clearly a talented actor today, offers a completely confused performance. Perhaps if Sam were played better, the father/son story would have been more gripping... but as is, Gyllenhaal's performance does nothing to help the film. Ironically, I found this to be Emmy Rossum's best performance so far (not too challenging considering how unimpressed I was with her in both POSEIDON and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA).
Overall, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is more then entertaining enough to pass a few hours. However, it's not nearly strong enough a film to stick with it's audience more then a few minutes after the credits. It's too bad too, b/c a massive blockbuster about Global Warming could have probably been a little bit richer.
... C ...