Almost good

Rating: 7/10 (2 June 2004)

If it were not for a certain naïveté in the treatment of the story, a few inaccuracies and some improbable human exploits, this movie would be a good one. But it reaches almost that stage because the excellent images chiefly the appalling ones that show the storm breaking out upon the urban scenery and the people and the incisive cut of sequences developing themselves in several different places add to its credit. And last but not least the strong message conveyed by the movie as a warning to what can happen if mankind goes on wasting and damaging natural resources and the global climate. Of course we know that such a dramatic catastrophe could not occur in a few hours as the movie shows. But that is purely symbolic and irrelevant. The important is the impact those powerful images have in our minds; of course the movie could not narrate with such impact a process developing itself in years, months or even weeks. The sentimental story narrated along the movie integrates it well and combines itself adequately with its general atmosphere. One last word for some well presented secondary characters. I mention for instance the tramp with his dog caught like all the other people in the middle of the tragedy and the two workmates of the scientist who chose to stay with him in his dangerous exploit instead of looking for a safe place for themselves. Well in fact in this movie all people are good. There are no villains.