Pure Entertainment: Tornado, Flood and Freeze Warning

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2004)

Written and Directed by: Roland Emmerich. Starring: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum, Arjay Smith. Running Time: 124mins (approx). Rating: PG-13 (US). 12A (UK).
*MINOR SPOILERS*
8 years after he graced our screens with his Sci-Fi 'End of the World' blockbuster, Independance Day, Roland Emmerich is back with a different take on the 'End of the World' experience, The Day After Tomorrow focuses on global warming melting the ice caps and causing a change in the Ocean's currents, ultimately causing a pattern of severe weather changes.
Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid, Traffic), a Government climatologist discovers the afore-mentioned weather change before it actually happens, but as it goes, no one is listening to him as he reveals the up-coming pattern change at a UN meeting in Dubai, where - to no ones curiosity, it starts to snow. As killer-hailstones start to fall in Tokyo and snow covers most of Europe, the powers-that-be in the US - Still not listening to Hall, dismiss them as simply a case of bad weather. As things get worse and Tornados hit Los Angeles and New York is flooded then frozen, the old, I Told You So factor comes into play, with the President and his men trying to bargain their way out of it. Here comes the journey... Jack's son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal, Donnie Darko) is stuck in the Great Public Library of New York with a few friends, with no way home [to Washington]. Jack decides to brave the weather and attempts to get to New York to save his son from impending death.
No heroics in this one as there is nothing to do to prevent the weather change, no lasers to fire to make it all better, this is the brutal force of Mother nature and what will happen if we keep on treating the Earth like this. Well, Thats the message I got from the film and what I believe Emmerich is trying to say. Politics aside, this film does nothing but entertain, from the turbulence in the plane as your stomach actually drops along with the passengers in the plane (Which you can relate to if you've ever been in a plane with turbulence) to the awe-inspiring Tornados ripping Los Angeles apart. With a few laughs (both intentional [See: Homeless bum] and un-intentional [See: Large Objects + High Winds = Big Hits]), some moments of nail-biting thrills, and suspense to keep you holding your breath as you root for Sam and his friends (See: Wolves), You are guaranteed to be leaving the cinema with money well spent. As for the script, there was never any reason to believe you were going into a film with any quotables or any standout speeches to come away with. The script wasn't written with that in mind. The acting was not great (See: The Godfather) but it wasn't anywhere near bad (See: Paul Walker and Vin Diesel in The Fast And The Furious). Jake Gyllenhaal looks promising and did well as young Sam should come to more peoples attention and cement himself as a big-time actor (After Donnie Darko, it was only inevitable), Dennis Quaid held up well as Jack as he didn't disappoint. And, a co-starring appearance of Arjay Smith (The Journeys Of Allen Strange [A Classic]) which made me smile. On the whole, this film should appeal to everyone of all ages with its PG-13/12A rating this looks to be a sure fire hit at the box office, and with plenty of mind-blowing effects and enough story to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat, with the super-sensitive people in the audience maybe shedding a tear for those helpless victims like Ian Holm and his crew who are coming to terms with reality. Its not Oscar material, but who cares? Its worth the price of Admission, and in this day and age, isn't that, truly all we ask for?
6-Word Analogy: Solid film with Mind-Blowing effects.
Best Acted Part: Sam Hall (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Oscar Worthy?: If there was an Oscar for special effects, Yes. Otherwise, No.
Best Moment: The Flooding of New York is good, but the Tornados ripping up Los Angeles takes this one.
Vedict: 8/10