Great Special Effects Only Reason To See This

Rating: 6/10 (8 July 2005)

As the cataclysmic weather occurs in The Day After Tomorrow, there is a climatologist (played by Dennis Quaid) warning about the next ice age due to global warming. Then there's his wife (played by Sela Ward) who is trying to save a cancer patient, and his son (played by pretty boy Jake Gyllenhaal), who is part of an Academic Decathlon team visiting New York City to compete (and because the filmmaker's could think of no better reason to film ridiculously destructive scenes in Manhattan). Meanwhile, Jake, the son, while shifting into survival mode, becomes increasingly interested in Laura Chapman (played by Emmy Rossum) because she happens to be there. Director Roland Emmerich paints a pretty bleak picture for us, if we don't attend to these global warming issues and fast. Granted, it's obvious that the science, however unbelievable, is compacted into a convenient time frame to make this movie. You won't care too much about the characters in this movie; because, we're never really given enough time to do so. There's always another catastrophe waiting around the corner. The acting is nothing to write home about either. However, the special effects are outstanding from the unexpected tornadoes in Los Angeles to the frozen landscape of Manhattan. The special effects are the real reason to see this film and because they play a major role in the film, you don't notice that the movie is over 2 hours long. Perhaps another special effect worth mentioning is Dennis Quaid walking most of the way from Washington D.C. to Manhattan in a blizzard. There are also a few topical jokes alluded to that more discerning viewers may notice. Otherwise, don't think too much about the characters, plot, or science in this movie or you won't enjoy it. **1/2 of 4 stars.