One of this year's best comedies!

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2004)

*** WARNING - This review may spoil your enjoyment of the film...
***...although I doubt it!
I remember laughing through most of Independence Day, so didn't hold out much hope for this latest Emmerich blockbuster... I'm glad I don't have high hopes.
The sentiments of this movie are entirely laudable, which is probably why actors such as Ian Holm and Dennis Quaid signed up. Essentially, the world is consuming too many fossil fuels, so creating a major climactic shift, endangering the future of the planet.
Tremendous special effects ensue, as you would expect - however, it's a pity that they didn't allocate a bit of the CGI budget to a good script-writer.
I'm sure that most Americans were whooping at the end, but for anyone else, this film is just pure comedy. At the screening I went to, most of the audience were in hysterics at the cliche-dripping lines that many of the characters have to deliver.
In addition, the film is full of pointless one-dimensional characters, such as the cranky, reactionary Vice President, the sick kid in need of help, the nerdy student, stock-looking hero's wife (who is actually a doctor to give her some depth)... the list is endless.
To add insult to injury, this climactic shift only seemed to be happening to America, however hard they tried to make us believe that England and Scotland, Europe and Japan were also being affected. Cue images of affected 'landmarks' such as Statue Of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Hollywood...
Thank god, they didn't get Dennis Quaid to try and send the Shuttle up to solve the problem, although I bet Emmerich considered the idea, given that a satellite always happens to be over the right part of Earth to deliver images to Houston - strange that.
Undoubtedly this will rack up huge box-office receipts, but even for a Hollywood blockbuster this has a cheese quotient bigger than the Cheddar Gorge.
Feel free to go and line Roland Emmerich's pockets further, but don't say you weren't warned.