Entertaining, but unrealistic

Rating: 6/10 (5 January 2007)

Overall, The Day After Tomorrow was not impressive when examining the plot. Basically, a killer storm strikes the world with no past symptoms, solely caused by global warming. Or maybe it was the demented man further south playing with his weather machine, which in reality is easier to swallow than the entire situation in this movie. To watch The Day After Tomorrow, just turn your brain off (which I did) and it is entirely watchable.
The actors all had great performances, with no cheesy lines that are memorable. Also, the special effects are good for grabbing your attention. Another good aspect of The Day After Tomorrow was that many of the characters were likable.
Now for the bad points of this movie. Firstly, the gigantic bursts of death that froze people were laughable. So, it's 27 or so degrees in one part, but -200 or so degrees just inches away because of the killer storm. The winds are so quick that they can chase down and down a helicopter (by instantly freezing the fuel... riiiight...) but Gyllenhaal can outrun the "freezing winds of death" without breaking a sweat. Just when the wind is about to enter the final room in the library and kill everyone there instantly, the door is closed locking the air outside - but actually, only a little air gets in. That's OK, because a pocket-sized fire is enough to save them. It always has to happen that way.
The CGI wolves were hilarious. Especially when one of them pounces for the kill, only to have the door closed just in time so that he goes splat. Just another cliché, and there's a long list of them.
Spoilers - The end was OK. It was a bit cliché, with an entire phalanx of Chinooks landing simultaneously as the camera pans out to show the massive ice layer that swallowed New York. I can't say this movie was good, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend it for a rainy day, but it's not worth watching otherwise.
6/10