Surprisingly Solid

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2004)

WARNING-SPOILERS AHEAD
I wasn't expecting much from "The Day After Tomorrow"-a big budget disaster film from the guy who gave us "Godzilla"? Yeah, where do I queue...?
But I was very pleasantly surprised. The effects served the story, rather than the reverse and there were a wide variety of strong performances, especially from Jake Gyllenhal and Dennis Quaid.
Despite it being a big summer action movie, it had a very human heart and wasn't overly "America rules", like Emmerich's previous works. I was very fond of some the overwhelming bleakness, such as the science post in Scotland, the fate of the President and the fact that many people are killed and there is no "happy ending". This added more humanity and a touch of realism.
My only real complaint was the ending was quite rushed and some of the science was questionable. But these are minor issues in the face of all the film's strengths.
I give this movie 8/10