Spectacle, plus

Rating: 9/10 (5 December 2007)

The Day After Tomorrow may be a stern (and rather fanciful) portrait of global warning - most of it conveniently plotted so it plays out over a few days. And it may be grim, even rather hopeless. But this movie works as pure spectacle, with one extravagant set piece following the next. A supercell of funnel clouds over Los Angeles, New York under siege by rain, flood, and ice, and the rest of the planet expecting much worse.
This was done by the same team that brought you Independence Day and the U.S. version of Godzilla. To varying extents, I liked all three. But DAT renders its effects with almost painterly beauty, almost guaranteed to inspire a kind of awe. Unexpected (and effective) comic relief makes for a better human element, as far as that goes. it's grand escapist fare, though its grim ecological message can make you worry about what you're escaping to.