Average disaster film

Rating: 6/10 (7 June 2004)

I'll give this to director Roland Emmerich: he sure knows how to lay waste to major cities. The Day after Tomorrow is his third round of cinematic mass destruction, following on the heels of an alien invasion in Independence Day and a giant attacking lizard in Godzilla. Of the three, The Day after Tomorrow is probably the most accomplished, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great film, as it moves through most of the standard disaster film clichés without batting an eye, but yet still proves mildly entertaining.
Based on the pseudo-science book The Coming Global Superstorm written by radio commentator Art Bell and novelist Whitley Streiber, The Day after Tomorrow opens on an Antarctic ice shelf, where paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) and his team are collecting ice core samples when the shelf decides to separate, leaving Hall with an ominous sense of dread. At a Global Warming conference in New Dehli (where it is snowing), Hall informs those gathered, including the rather unsupportive Vice-President of the United States (Kenneth Welsh), that sometime in the future, the very fabric of our warm climate will collapse and send the planet back into an ice age. Hall is generally ignored by the conference goers, until giant tornadoes begin tearing Los Angeles apart, torrential rains lead to massive flooding in New York City, and in Scotland helicopters, and their occupants, freeze instantly. Hall determines that his predictions where not only correct, but they occurred well ahead of his believed time-table, and advises the President of the US to evacuate the lower states, while the upper states can only sit out the storm for fear that if they leave their homes, they too will freeze to death. Meanwhile, Jack's son Sam (Jake Gyllenhall) and several classmates are trapped in the flooding, and then freezing, New York City and Jack sets out to try and save him from what seems certain doom.
The Day after Tomorrow follows the rather standard disaster film formula of introducing dire portents of an upcoming tragedy, including a well-meaning scientist who tries to warn others but is viewed as a kook, followed by the beginning of the disaster, along with the sudden realization that what was warned is really happening, and after the bulk of the disaster has passed, then comes the aftermath as people must attempt to save themselves. There isn't a whole lot here to enliven the process beyond the standard, and as such there is little in the film that really takes you by surprise.

As with most big disaster films, what really pushes the picture along is it's spectacular scenes of disaster, and in this department The Day after Tomorrow excels, featuring some rather impressive imagery of tornadoes, tidal waves and giant storms. Probably the strongest material is centered on New York when the city is flooded, which doesn't fail to disappoint in the spectacle department. However, amazing visual effects doesn't really take the place of an interesting plot, and the Day after Tomorrow doesn't have much to offer once the disaster starts dying down.
Acting is generally capable, but no one really stands out. Dennis Quaid is decent as the obsessive scientist who tries to warn people of the danger, and then must make a personal journey into the unknown to try and save his son. Jake Gyllenhall is also adequate as Sam, and most of the rest of the cast get the job done, but there are no overwhelming performances. The human cast simply serves the plot.
If it sounds like I am very on-the-fence about the Day after Tomorrow, you would be correct. It is a mildly entertaining popcorn film, but nothing I would whole-heartedly recommend. If you are interested in impressive scenes of cities being toppled by out of control weather, check it out. If you are looking for a little more character depth and emotion to go with your disaster, rent Titanic.