Emmerich At His Best

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2004)

Quite simply, I really liked this one. The CGI was great and I thought it was even more impressive as to CGI weather is probably the hardest effect to do, even more so than humans. The sets were great, I've never been to NYC, but the recreation looked very authentic to me. Quaid is great in this film, and like most of the cast, as this is the first time I've seen them, I'll keep an eye on any future movies of theirs as I enjoyed them so much.
The only things I didn't like in this film were firstly, the 'Look, its a huge tidal wave less than a block away or you might miss it.' I can suspend belief quite a bit (so much so, I could almost make a good film out of Temple Of Doom) but it was quite dumb.
The wolves were blatantly CG. It is my opinion that if a special effect is subtle, the animator has done their job well. As it stands, I don't think much love was put into those wolves, but with weather effects elsewhere that look so great and more importantly, BELIEVABLE, its not a major complaint.
The scene stealer of any film, usually is a guy with little to do with the plot, and true to style, Day After Tommorow had one too. I can't recall his name off - hand, but the tramp with the dog was great! He was always a stark contrast to everyone else, and was genuinely funny and his frequent appearances are always refreshing and not overdone. Lines like 'try the trash. Always something to eat there' and the friend of Sam's line 'guys theirs a whole section here on tax law we can burn!' were great.
All in all, this was a great film, and one of the first times I've been really grateful I've seen a major Hollywood blockbuster (especially after the major disappointment which was Troy.)
8/10 - Go see it. You won't regret it.