Same old, same old...

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2004)

Well, again it seems that Hollywood have dug deep into their pockets but have failed to come up with the goods. As I left the cinema, I couldn't help but think that too much attention has again been given to producing stunning effects whilst too little is paid to the content.
It seems an awful shame to me. Independence Day was, let's face facts, an appalling film. But it did have an ironic self-awareness that allowed us to smirk at its satirical element. It seems, however, that The Day After Tomorrow lacks even this.
Whenever a film has an extended budget to play with, all the emphasis goes into wowing the audience with pseudo-realistic madness which, it must be said, a postmodern movie-goer is starting to become a little too well accustomed to.
What disappointed me so much about this film was the 'feel-good' factor that it failed so whole-heartedly to produce. Don't get me wrong, I'm not into the happy ending. I prefer a film to leave me empty inside, giving me something to think about as I make my way in silence with the rest of the crowd out in to the foyer. My problem with this film is that it tried so hard to 'smile' in the face of adversity at the finale, showing the value of re-union, hope and courage against the odds.
Please.
There is a paradox. In attempting to simulate realism by the cart-load, it loses the plot (in more than one sense). Why can't we have Dennis Quaid finding his son and fellow companions frozen to death at the close of the film? Why not gut the underbelly of the situation by showing real loss? Millions of people froze, drowned, or were killed by the freakish weather conditions in the film, so why not these? We don't need to our hands to be held any longer in mainstream Hollywood cinema; we're grown-ups now, you know. Believe it or not.
Please, no more Waterworld's. We've had enough, haven't we?