The Day After Tomorrow Movie Reviews

It seems likely the movie will lead to a new round of global warming hysteria. Our technological ability to create realistic computer-generated scenes of environmental catastrophe lends a certain realism to a movie. While "The Day After Tomorrow" will raise awareness of the global warming issue, it is unlikely to lead to the public having balanced and informed views on the subject. Is climate change happening? Yes. Over the last century temperatures rose by 0.6oC.

The idea that climate change is harmless and will just mean nicer weather is dangerously wrong. Temperatures are predicted to rise by between 1.4 and 5.8oC during this century. This might not seem very much but, a warming of just 2 to 3oC would put: 3 billion people at risk of water shortages, 300 million extra exposed to malaria, 100 million more at risk from coastal flooding. The climate could change dramatically over 10-20 years. It would be extremely difficult for us and the natural world to adjust. The film uses one possible scenario for abrupt climate change - changes to Atlantic Ocean currents creating a cooling effect on Northern Europe. But it's very difficult to say how likely this scenario is as there simply isn't enough data. What made me write about this old movie today?

The rains in T.N. & A.P. as per meteorological office is due to low pressure lying over Lakshadweep. Is it really due to low pressure or due to global warming (Ozone depletion)? We can't make enough ozone to replace what's been destroyed, but provided that we stop producing ozone-depleting substances, natural ozone production reactions should return the ozone layer to normal levels. It is very important that the world comply with the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. Let's unite to save the Ozone Layer.

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This movie is about:

This movie is about -

A Father and A Son

Love and Trust

Power (Government) and Brain/Knowledge (Scientist)

Nature and Mankind

Developed and Developing/Under Developed Countries

.....

Who must see this movie:

All those who want to see -

What happens if u take over advantage of Nature

How Knowledge wins over Power

How Power and Knowledge together can win over Natural Calamity

How a Father saves his Son against all Odds

How a Son trusts on his Father and prefer to stays in the claws of Death only because he promised to stay there and let his father come and save him out

How a Wife allows a Husband to go and Save their Son against all chances of Her Husband and Son's Survival

How Nature revenges if it is misused

Special Effects in Cinema

.....

Why must see:

To learn how to behave with Nature

To Learn how to not loose hope till last effort and fight against any size of enemy

......

StoryLine:

Jack Hall is a US based scientist and studies the behavior of Nature. He declares in a International Summit held at New Delhi (and New Delhi is having Snow Fall !!! Amazing!!!) that because of Global Warming, the Northern half of the earth will go to Ice Age Again and very few will be able to survive. Only way to avoid it is to spend a huge amount to prepare the mankind against this calamity else all mankind and everything else will go to frozen state (-200 degrees).

President and Vice President refuse to spend this huge amount and let this assessment of the scientist go off that something to this kind may happen.... and 100 years is a too long a period to think about the generations to come....

Jack Hall was wrong in his calculations of 100 years. what he assumed to be going to happen in 100 years is going to happen in few days actually. But by the time Hall realizes it, by the time Government comes to understand that what he predicted is true, by the time Hall could call his son Sam back from New York (Sam is on some competition and expedition with his friends), by the time anybody could realize what is happening......

Temperature starts falling at the rate of 13 degrees per second and things start freezing in Canada, US, Europe, Japan.....

Now starts the fight of Jack Hall to save his son who is stuck in a library with his girl friend, a friend and many other people. Hall decided to reach to New York via road as all flights are cancelled. But near Mexico he has to leave road part as after that there is only snow and nothing else.

And there is a time limit also. Things will reach to Ice Age in next 48 hours... and before that Hall has to reach to Sam and save him......

Great Camera Effects..... and ultimately Hall is able to save his son because of his will power and never dying attitude....

Rest you all to see and judge/ enjoy yourself.

Enjoy this movie.........A must watch......

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Out of the many movies I have seen throughout my lifetime, this is one of the best. I don't think it was because of the plot, but instead for its mind-blowing special effects and its interesting take on the last day or ''apocalypse.'' I am not a very religious person, but after watching this film, I was starting to think maybe I should take it up...or make a note never to live in New York.

The film is about a climatologist named Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid, Flight of the Phoenix) who predicts that Global Warming (the Greenhouse Effect) is going to trigger a new Ice Age. Everyone refuses to believe him until its too late. Now Jack, his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal, October Sky), and a small band of survivors must ride out this super-storm and survive the wrath of Mother Nature.

The number one reason why everyone should go see this film is because the visual effects are phenomenal! They are more detailed and meticulously played out than in any other film to this day. The makers of this film took a sequence of events that could quite possibly have happened within thousands of years and tried to figure out what would happen if the process was sped up to fit in a two hour time slot. I also think that the visual effects are even better than those in Lord of the Rings (like the huge computerized battle scenes). To get the maximum effect of these ingenious visual effects, watch the film with the surround sound blasting and with widescreen if your TV can handle it.

The plot for this movie is average. It is basically about Jack going to rescue his son Sam who is caught in the super-storm in New York and with his girlfriend Laura Chapman (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera), which is very sweet of Jack...if it were possible to travel on foot against Mother Nature's wrath...but then again if everybody died in the movie, it would only be a half hour film. By keeping a few main characters alive, it helped the audience to see what it would be like to have no choice but to live and coup under such extreme conditions. Aside from the plot, the actors' speaking parts are pretty limited and underdeveloped as well. Perhaps because everyone's either: screaming, dying, or too shocked to say anything throughout the film. I think the main reason why the plot and speaking parts were so underdeveloped was because too much time was spent on perfecting the special effects that not enough time was left to spend on making a better and more detailed plot for the accomplished actors/actresses in the film. Maybe someday a movie will be made that has both breathtaking special effects AND an equally extraordinary plot.

I loved this movie's take on a second Ice Age, or mini ''apocalypse,'' as well. For instance, it talked about how an enormous hurricane/tornado, whose eye covered the entire U.S., was so powerful that it sucked in air from outer space and dumped it onto the states, instantly freezing everything. This and the other types of natural destruction were displayed throughout the movie. They all got me thinking about how much damage Americans cause towards our ozone every day. I think it is highly probable that global warming will occur in the near future if we continue to abuse our privileges here on Earth. It's pretty scary stuff when you think about it, so if you're looking for a good conversation starter, watch this movie and fear Mother Nature!

In other words, The Day After Tomorrow is a technological masterpiece that really delivers. It was directed by Roland Emmerich (creator of the hit movie: Independence Day) and made over $900 million worldwide! So why not watch this excellent big-budget film and see the new face on entertainment for yourself?

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What I like most about this movie is the starting scene - where an environment conference is taking place in our very own New Delhi. This is probably the first time a Hollywood movie did not begin Europe or America!

Also, the way it showed that Americans are migrating to Mexico to save their own lives gives a subtle pinch to America's immigration policy… ha ha…

The theme of the movie is quite believable. Indeed scientists predict an ice age in distant future (although not so near as the film showed us). The photography was excellent. The ways New York was covered with ice, the humans became instant icicles are really commendable.

I agree that some scenes in the movie look so absurd but hey, its not real life - it's just a movie!

Definitely I shall recommend you watching this movie with whole family. Both adults and kids will enjoy it.

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No its not scary, just that I was trying to get into the theme of the film. Or shall I say, the ice. So dear earthlings, prepare to see a forecast of the result of our kartoots over centuries, mother nature is all set to take revenge by reversing the climatic conditions (i hope I got the geographic logics right) on the planet earth, due to which, there is a partial return of the ice age.

And the worst sufferers are...guess..guess...- ofcourse those who shall always emerge victorious at the end. Which meeeeans, none other than the self proclaimed caretakers of earth, appointed by the almighty himself - the Americans. Hey!!!!(?)..

On a more serious note, Day after tommorow brings up an important issue which has been looked at with closed eyes, for years now. Particularly the US of A, who has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol - for environment norms. The film is dramatic, interesting and visuals are gripping. But the CG mightiness of Hollywood is not a news. So, all the visual effects are kind of 'expected', and doesn't leave you with an open mouth.

The logics of the effects of global warming and the reasoning behind climatic changes is well explained and seems right in terms of a reality check. In fact, few of the real life incidents does vindicate the threats highlighted by the film. Havent we heard in recent times - snow in UAE, rains where it has hardly rained, and tempertaures have rose to a level it has never reached before. Meaning movie or no movie, the threat is staring us in face.

The film's central character is a climatologoist, who has predicted about the dangers of an ice age at a global conference held at New Delhi (kya baat hai!..dil khush ho gaya ji!!)..But what he saw after about 100 years, comes in next few days. (And we blame our metrological department for wrong info). So, world starts getting chaotic, as strange climate behavours happen. The westwern world is doomed to freeze, and so they seek help from the third world and the middle east.

Fine! Fine! Fine! But..but...no matter whats the plot, just like we cant do without songs, hollywood cannot do without the undying spirit of america, even if it means, defying the fury of nature, and the logic.

So, our climatologist's son is stuck up in the northern region of USA, which is destined to forevr turn into ice, while the climatologist is in the southern hemisphere.

He promises to get his son back, walking endless ice horizon, walking past frozen bodies, and ships half buried in ice, where once there was a city. And..?..he finds his son, and a few accomplices alive inside a library, where they got heat by burning books, as everything else outside was freezing at rate of -10 degree celsius per second!...

See, defying common sense is not only about David Dhawan movies (comparision apart, I do like his school of film making as well. Haseena maan jaayegi rocks)

Barring the american self patting, Day after tommorow is a nice watch. Hope the point the movie tries to make just doesnt get buried under the snow! At our end, may be we mouthshuttiers can do our bit by shutting down the usage of polythene and keep our vehicles checked, and not litter.

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The storm is coming, every thing would be destroyed, I was amazed by the trailor, went to the dvd shop got a copy and rushed infront of the computer screen with my bro. and uncle. and what happen! my brother went on sleeping just in the beginning of disk 2, and I hardly wake and keep on waiting when the movie will end.

Roland emmerich the director of independce day and godzilla as usuall bring strong visual effect with strong disaster of America again on the big screen and again fails to amuse the viewers.

The cast except denis quad was bad, not amazing. The scenes with strong visual effects were strong and amazing but they were very few and the movie was to boring because of long conversation dialogues and slow pace.

The movie should have more distruction scenes less dialogues more pace and less time and more strong cast the visual effects, sound effects and editing was perfect. But all in all it was a bore movie.

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I was kind of weary of going to another movie where New York City gets converted to a dump. And on seeing it, I knew my senses were right.

The use of special effects in The Day After Tomorrow is terrific, and the events have been brought about as close to reality as possible. But as usual with such movies, there is a melodrama being played out and it really bores. It is difficult to make a phenomenon such a climate change, which is huge in itself, to go hand in hand with the struggle of a family to stay together, no matter what the odds. The two just don't mix, and the story of the family was just a time killer for all of us who were watching it just for the SFX.

But the fact that mankind is no winner is a definite difference with this movie. I wonder if they ever thought of it the other way around. However, the movie is a good time pass. At least see it for the special efects. But that's about it. Expect no more.

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I don?t know when making of such disaster movies will come to an end in Hollywood, which has used all the living creatures animated and all the five elements of nature to cause such disasters. If it is fire in Independence Day, it is water in the Day after tomorrow. This time the sky and water are the elements causing such huge disasters. May be we can expect the whole Newyork destroyed by earthquake in his next film in which we can see the liberty statue splitting into two equal halves and falling down in opposite sides.

There are some aspects, which make even such repeated versions of disasters worth watchable, they are:

1) A logical and acceptable new concept of disaster

2) A neat characterization and cast

3) Lot of human values and emotions jelled with the screenplay amidst the destruction such as Love, sacrifice, patriotism, betrayal, soberness etc.,

4) Logical screenplay

5) Thrilling moments that takes the audience to the edge of their seats

6) Technically sound and SFX at its best with new ideas in visuals

Concept of Disaster

Anyway there are no elements left out to try out something new and hence the element here is the same water again which has been dealt many times before in various forms. ?Day after tomorrow? from the makers of Independence Day and Godzilla is all about green house gases, global warming, drastic climatic changes and the earth reaching the ice age.

A scientist expects it to happen after some 100 years and he submits his predictions regarding this in a conference meeting held in Delhi. Immediately after the meeting, they see a drastic change in the climate of Delhi followed by Tokyo, Scotland and finally the ultimate target of the movie Newyork. Quite a logical and an acceptable concept and the movie have a fresh background to deal with. But the plot in the foreground the father-son relation and his rescue mission is where the flaws start to flow.

A Neat Characterization and Cast

Such movies have very less screen time to register the details about the lead characters. So there should be some strong short and crisp scenes to establish all the characters in the screen and it has to register well in the minds of the audience to grab the interest of and taken the emotions of the characters more closer to the audience.

This movie fails in this aspect. No character is well detailed and so denies to register in our minds and so no emotions shakes our mind and no performance stays in our mind when you leave the hall. The characters come and go as a part of animation and visual effects and lacks soul. Even the fully animated movies evoke some emotions in our minds these days but in such an era it is so pathetic that the director could not do the same with living human beings in the cast. The cast performances are okay but not up to the mark.

Human values and emotions

Human emotions and a drop of tear can better elevate the effect of any huge disaster than any grand visuals with brilliant SFX. The movie fails in this aspect also. Yes off course there are all human emotions but it doesn?t strike the right chord to emote the audience. It also has sacrifice, love, father-son relation, boy-girl love, helping tendency of the heroine, doctor-patient emotions but everything fails to emote because of poor casting, characterization, performance and no any scene that strongly registers their relationship.

1) Actually when the scientist comes after crossing lot of barriers (???) to rescue his son you must feel happy as they are but not even a small jerk happens in our minds. Why? Because there are no scenes which shows him facing difficulty in reaching the place and it seems anybody can walk and reach that place and so it doesn?t leave a big impact like rose rescuing jack from the E deck in titanic.

2) When an ambulance comes to rescue the doctor and the small child patient you don?t feel relieved of any tension as she feels. Why? Because the bond between the doctor and that boy is not well registered before.

3) And also sacrifice of the third man in the rescue team also doesn?t shake you. Why? Which is also because of the lack of details in characterization. Who is he? Why should he accompany him? It gives us a feel that he is intentionally included in the team to show some ?sacrifice? on screen.

Thrilling moments

The wolf-chasing scene inside the ship, which is added to fill some thrilling moments in the screenplay, doesn?t serve the purpose. The initial scene in Antarctica where a fellow jumps between two parts of the ice is badly executed and lacks thrill. I thought that everything is going to break into pieces due to freezing and cracking when they run out of the ship towards the library but it disappoints big time.

Even the scene in which the girl tries to save a Chinese lady and her child and again goes to take the bag containing the passport when water is flooding the streets, it lacks thrill due to predictability. You know well what is going to happen and even how it will be executed visually as we have seen such moments in many other movies before. These scenes doesn?t brings you to the edge of your seats instead you lean back well on the seats thinking ?how many times we will watch such stuffs?.

Logical Screenplay

All the above would have been a positive aspect of the film if the screenplay is somewhat logical and believable. The director asks us ?What do you mean by Logic??

The ship reaching the library after steering through the bends in the streets, the scientist reaching the library through walk on the ice beds and that too in such an extreme climate, the sudden disappearance of cyclones and the sudden appearance of clear sky, what happened to predictions of scientist which is why the boy stayed there in the library, the books alone remain warm when everything around even the walls of the structures are freezing and cracking and many more logical errors are there.

Even after lot of drawbacks there is something to make your money worth and it is none other than SFX - Cinematography ? Sound design ? Usual Background Score and here are those scenes

1) Initial formation of twisters and the destruction caused by them.

2) The rise in sea level and floods inside the city.

3) The plan view of whole Newyork and the liberty statue frozen into ice.

4) The initial Antarctica scenes in which a scientist drills the ice

5) As usual the flying cars in the streets of Manhattan due to forced water stream

6) The scene in which the buildings and other structures starts to freeze and cracks

If you like really like some SFX and stunning visuals which we have seen many times before, go and watch it only in theatres because you may not get the same effect in CD?s and if you watch it in CD?s I am sure you will fast forward many scenes.

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The director of independence has given us again the same thrilling, exciting, nerve chilling experience in his latest film ''The day after tomorrow''. The same old formulae of hollowood films, earth is in danger and mission is to save earth. But with freshness, newness and creating more horror than horror films. And this time the tone is submissive.

They don't boost that they will save the earth instead They accept that we (mankind) has done extensive, irreversible damage to nature and we can't fight it or repair it back. Its too late. Moreover US which boosts of every kind of power on earth is shown to take refuge in other countries. So in this way with old formulae, the angle of view is different.

Film grips you for every moment. As the water floodes countries, you will feel yourselves choked and will try to escape. As the water freezes to ice, the blood in your viens will freeze. That is the effect of excellent cinematography and computer graphics. Film is also good on direction and acting performances. And the Thundering sound adds to the horror ( provided sound system of theatre is good; and DONT watch on cd, its effect will decrease to more than 75% ).

Though this is a science fiction film, but the plot is so believable that it feels it is really going to happen. Its based on natural calamity due to huge climatic changes caused by global warming which is a phenomenon we are witnessing and its effects are also coming forth now. In Recent years we have actually witnessed some disturbances in natural cycles of rain and temperature. So it is pretty believable and real.

It will also tickle your funny bone at several places.

India has been chosen as one of places of influence with US and Japan. An international seminar( on weather) happens in Delhi and the first effect of Global warming is shown in Delhi.

Leave aside other things, your money will be paid back by just its grand visuals of the catastrophe.

DO WATCH THE FILM AND ONLY IN A GOOD THEATRE. A good entertainment is ensured.

Aniruddh.

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Hi,

I personally like to watch these kind of stuff....about the earth, the sea, the tornado, storm etc., but not in a movie but prefer watch it as a documentary shown in Discovery Channel. Reason: Very Simple the documentaries are more realistic and the movies are overhyped where the protagonist tries to change the World and the basic rules of the nature. Still I convinced myself to go for the movie because my colleagues had already booked my tickets and I did not want to dissappoint them.

The movie starts with the protagonist Dennis Quaid, playing a hunky paleoclimatologist, solemnly warns that a massive storm unleashed by global warming is going to plunge the Northern Hemisphere into a new Ice Age ? within days! ? the real experts nudge each other and snicker. The movie is all about the nature creating a havoc in the United States of America specially in the entire northern hemisphere. Jack Hall's son Sam is detained in New York because of the flooding...where he takes refuge in a library alongwith some more people. The movie is picturised excellently.

The photography is stunning...scenes like the HOLLYWOOD logo getting blown off by the tornado....the flooding and its havoc. I personally feel that this movie is a bit overdone (pardon me if I am ignorant of the facts). Though I do take into cognizance of climate change which is happening gradually and eventually change the face of the planet.... I cannot digest is helicopters freeze midair and the Atlantic Ocean swamps Manhattan.

There is a ''small kernel'' of scientific truth in the movie's plot, which blames melting polar ice caps for disrupting ocean currents that warm the northern latitudes. Another thing I fail to understand is that what makes Jack goes to save his son Sam in the adverse of climate when the whole of the Nothern Hemisphere is full of snow. I am not sure what would Jack done even he manages to reach New York risking his own life.....but thankfully for Jack, Sam and the audience by the time he makes to New York (walking on the snow), the catastrophe is all over with the sun shining.

The conclusion is that there is very little reality in the USD 125 mln special effects extravaganza. Though the underlying message and the spirit of the movie are realistic the extent of the devastation is quite unrealistic especially tornado hitting Los Angeles, hail in Tokyo and snow storms in our own New Delhi, simultaneously. In my opinion director Roland Emmerich has ?okie dokie? film to his name as compared to his previous hits like the Godzilla and the Independence Day.

Please do RRC.

Vijay

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Please note the review is for the movie THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and is narrated via the HUM-TUM comic strip

ing The original HUM-TUM (Me and my wife)

TUM: I have to see this movie tonight

HUM: But it is going to be housefull ..its only the 2nd day of release blah blah ..

HUM manages to get the ticks ..TUM prevails as always

The MOVIE PLOT Yes, there is one ..

Post-Delhi conference where it was snowing (Not shot in Delhi)

TUM: How was your Climatologists conference in Delhi ..

HUM: Cold - The American vice president cold shouldered my ideas

TUM: What ideas?

HUM: My theory that global warming will plunge the earth to another ice age ..

Meanwhile Japan has hailstorms the size of football elsewhere weird things are happening, temperatures keep falling at the rate of 10 degrees per minute. A huge chunk of Antartic Continental shelf has broken away causing such changes affecting the Atlantic current ..more catestrophes and disasters keep happening across the world.

Finally the US President concedes and accepts HUM's theory as explanation to various global reactions - this is after some dazzling special affects

TUM: where are you going now?

HUM: to get our son HUM1 from NewYork back, our predictions show that the center of the hurricane is NY

TUM: what are the consequences?

HUM: The whole city will freeze and temperatures will go below -150

TUM: What about other 2 centers of hurricanes?

HUM: Hey you ask the director about it ..

Somewhere in NY ...The sea has entered the NY city (affects of Global warming) and people are taking refuge in the Public Library

HUM1(screams): I have got to contact my father HUM

TUM1: There are phones downstair but the water is rising rapidly ..take care

HUM(Father): Whatever you do stay inside and do not leave the library ..burn whatever you can books, chairs, tables..

HUM1: oh oh its cold ..brrr

TUM1: Dear I will keep you warm ..use my body heat (Bollywood shades ??)

HUM1(announces to all): we need to burn all the books to keep ourselves warm ...

More dazzling special affects + music later, books keep on burning and the temperature is falling, also we get to see a drifted SHIP entering NY city

Meanwhile HUM(father) continues his journey to NY ..US has started evacuating people down to South ... tan tan tan

The original HUM-TUM in theatre are feeling very very cold by now ..and so is the audience.

More special affects later HUM1 and TUM1 discover love - HUM discovers HUM1 safe & sound - The Choppers discover the rest of the NY people - we (HUM-TUM) discover snow and ice - Audience discover that NY has yet again survived WOW

=====================

Well thats the broad story of HUM-TUM...I mean The Day after tomorrow, if you like special affects & need to kill time and money this is you movie..recommend you to see this movie during the noon when its very hot.

Else I highly recommend ''When Harry Met Sally'' DVD with your HUM-TUM ..feel warm n cozy and yes you can watch it again.

By the way Jake Gyllenhaal (Last seen in Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston) & Emmy Rossum are pleasant fresh faces to watchout for in the future.

Meanwhile HUM-TUM eagerly await the release KILL BILL 2, SPIDERMAN 2, SHREK 2 & HIDALGO 1 he he

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?The day after tomorrow? depicts that everyone is helpless against the nature?s fury yes, believe it or not even the Americans. There were movies like ?Armageddon? where a group of experts manage to split a 1600 feet deep meteor into half to save the world from its doom. And then there were movies like ?The core? where another group of experts (needless to say they were all Americans) go deep into the bowels of the Earth to make its stopped core move again. I?m happy to say that I dint stick around to watch another clichéd ending of the latter.

So before going for ?The day after tomorrow? I had a feeling I was again headed for a predictable something but thankfully this movie showed its respects towards a natural catastrophe.

The story spells out the disastrous effects of global warming. All the complex geographical talk in the movie when simplified leads to this? our ocean currents work smoothly due to a balance between the fresh water supply and the saline water supply.

Now due to global warming the polar caps are melting which results in an increase in the fresh water supply, which in turn results in a major drop in the oceanic temperature. The result ? tornados , hurricanes , snow storms and the destruction of New york and LA yet again. (note: I admit there are a few technical details which I seem to have missed out on so please don?t sue me.)

Apna hero of the movie is Jack Hall(Dennis Quaid) playing this smart climatologist who discovers all of the above before anyone else. Now I know what your thinking but no, he doesn?t come up with a brilliant idea to stop anything from happening. His mission is not to stop the northern hemisphere from being buried under the snow but to save his son, Sam (Gyllenhaal) who is stranded in New York. Meanwhile Sam, who I?m sure got his genes from his smart dad, seems to be pulling off a few tricks of his own while being stuck at a public library.

All in all its not so much of a mystery whether Jack would infact be able to rescue his son or not. The compelling factor of the movie is the concept. Its quite a refreshing change since it actually deals with a practical threat. Although the scientists do say that the movie is a hyperbole and global warming can never lead to such adverse effects so as to affect half the globe but that?s no reason not to take it seriously.

You could call me a plagiarist for using the punch line of a car company as my title but to tell you the truth the temptation was too much. The German director Rolland Emmerich uses some cool graphics as he does in his earlier flicks like Independence day and Godzilla. And unlike the other movies of its kind , Its mother earth itself revolting against man?s mistake and she herself giving man another chance. People come to the brink of ice age and back. Touch and go one would say??

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After our initial apprehensions about this movie being a remake of the bestseller by the same name were displaced, we settled with the hope that it is a product after all from the makers of I-want-to-destroy-New-York-City brand of movies, Independence Day, and Godzilla. At the very minimum, a cataclysmic destruction of New York was anyways expected, thus, our initial interest in the movie was held on Special Effects which the director has already demonstrated in his other destructive ventures.

Only this time, he takes natural disasters, very naturally and assumes that catastrophes are just around the corner if you live up-state New York.

So, in the middle of nowhere, which the director claims as a ?UN Convention for Climate? at New Delhi (paradoxically, why would someone hold a climate conference in one of the most polluted cities beats me ? fashion statement mayhaps?), the vice-president having a striking resemblance to Dick Cheney (or who knows, given his disappearances from white house, it might actually be him), addresses a scientist who wars about global warming which will bring artic cooling and engulf world into ice age all over again. (Of course, the convention being in India, neither there is a single Indian in the conference, nor, err, what was the vice president of United States doing there in the first place?). Later, we shockingly discover that indeed it is snowing in New Delhi ? If wishes were horses, sigh!

Anyhow, weather gods take the scientist?s prophecies rather too seriously and act upon it with utmost vengeance ? so you have three super gigantic hurricanes being formed in the northern hemisphere, threatening to take over most of northern hemisphere and plunge the world into ice-age.

So while at one end, ice begins to break at Antarctica, hurricanes with humongous force drag the temperatures from stratospheres (???) to sub zero temperatures in matter of seconds, freezing everything in its way to ice age, which the scientists claim will last for few hundred years. Anyhow, given the brouhaha of such cataclysmic events, the center of attraction is yet again New York, which is bracing for the storm, and more importantly the scientist?s son is trapped there ? and a father has a ?promise? to keep to his son ? ?I will get to you!?.

So while whole world and sundry is heading south, the crux of the story is how a father reaches New York to reach his son, while his son and his few followers, and a lady love, manage to wither the ice age. Of course, for what purpose defies me.

Why would you want to see this movie then?

-- You like special effects, which actually are pretty good to say. Indeed the cyclonic storms are breathtakingly beautiful to watch? err. ..In, cinemascope only. Though I wish I had a storm surrounding my work place for first 5 days of the week perpetually.

-- You like trashy Hollywood ?summer? movies which give you chills thrills and frills. Only in this case, the chill in New York never thrills you enough, instead might just frill you enough to leave the theatre with a head-ache and head home to real world, and possibly gallop a head-full of aspirins to warm you.

-- You actually believe that temperatures can drop 13 Degrees per second ? and in no time you are seeing temperatures of -200 degrees?

-- You actually love to wonder that a father survives the ice age sitting in ice and sleeping through it, while continents above him, people are dying by the hundreds?

-- You actually believe that humans can beat the speed of air! Proof ? at the cataclysmic moment of the movie, the son and his friends are running across the library hall, behind them everything is freezing to ice. Of course, our heroes are one step ahead of the ?icy? wind.

-- You love seeing New York destroyed. After the initial brouhaha about climatic disorders, you are willing to believe that New York is the birth and death of civilization, and that only people that mattered were New Yorkers.

-- You love the humor when Americans turn refugees and head to Mexico since it is one of the safe places of world which might escape the cold wave?

-- You love the fact that just when the storm passes New York City, it simply puffs away and weather is all beautiful and sunny. Ditto for other parts of world too (Yea, did I remind you earlier that there were three hurricanes targeting strategically to cover entire northern hemisphere?)

-- You love watching bad performances, cliché dialogues and over done situations of man against a government not willing to listen to until last moment thing. You also love the mush when lovers declare love towards each other while the world is freezing.

-- You love the fact that when you are frozen up cold, your girlfriend undresses you and then presses her body towards you to ?transfer? heat from her body to you to warm you up. And then also ask ? ?how do you feel now??

Or simply the dumb fact that you actually cancelled plans of watching Shrek 2 and bought the tickets for this movie online, without bothering to check a single review of the movie?

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Yes I admit, even though the trailers were'nt very impressive, I was still looking forward to the latest in Roland Emrich's How-To-Destroy-New York City series of movies (Independence Day, Godzilla and now TDAT make a sort of unofficial trilogy!).

But alas, disappointment was eminent. Everything about last nights premiere (@ Mercato, Dubai) was a disaster. First off, the movie did'nt start at 8:00pm as advertised, but at 9:00pm! The chaos at the cinema was followed by the longest two hours I've ever spent inside a movie theatre!

TDAT relies too heavily on CGI. Basic ''Do Not's'' from the directors handbook will tell you that CGI should never over shadow the true heart of any film, a little something called ''the script''. Obviously, Emrich never read the book.

Almost every other scene ends with a panoramic shot (matte painting artists must have made a killing on this movie!) of a destroyed NYC skyline. And this happens like every 10 minutes! Great acting talents the likes of Denis Quaid and Ian Holm are totally wasted here.

Roland Emrich did a great job with Star Gate, Independence Day and yes, even Godzilla. The Patriot though, in my opinion, was a terrible movie. What made ID:4 stand out and become one of the biggest box-office hits of all time? Good actors like Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Bill Pullman a cheesy yet interestingly wacky, fast paced script, and highly entertaining & memorable characters. Everything TDAT lacks.

At one point, my friend and I were even thinking of walking out becuse it was just so boring. Luckily, the movie ended 15 minutes later!

Anyways, here's my take on TDAT:

Story (& Direction): 2/5

Wha...? There was one? Storm of catastrophic proportions is going to destroy most of the worlds northern hemisphere by creating the next ''Ice Age'', work-aholic-never-had-time-to-be-a-good-dad father wants to make things good by rescueing his son... Ok, thats the first 30 minutes, after that Emrich just seems to have given over the reigns to the guys at ILM. Really sad, since the concept had possibilities...

Visual Effects: 2/5

So ironic that for a movie that depends so heavily on CGI, it was the CGI that eventually killed it. The effects were unbelieveable - Not ''unbelieveable'' as in ''Cool!'' but as in unrealistic, non-dramatic and down right cartoonish! I know games on PS2 which have better CGI! The NYC skyline & harbour, the tornado's in LA, the wolves-attack secene, the helicopters over Scotland, the NYC-roof top evac scene towrads the end, etc. were text book examples of stale, been-there-done-that CGI. Anyone who's watched a handfull of Sci-Fi movies in the last 5 years will be easily able to tell the matte painting backgrounds apart from the live-action bits. Compared to The LOTR's in terms of revolutionary CGI, TDAT has some of the most out-dated, Star Wars-esque (prequels) CGI I've ever seen.

Acting: 2/5

If there was an Oscar for everytime an actor had to open their mouth and stare at the camera in awe, then we've got an entire cast of practically unknowns here who would win hands down! D. Quaid & I. Holm, sorry, but you guys must have been really desperate to sign-up for this movie. On top of that, next to zero character development... But then this is practically a ''Directors Trademark'' in this case.

Dialouge: 1/5

Some of the cheesiest I've ever heard. It was like dialouge from a Hindi movie! Cliched one-liners, stero-types, etc. I think Emrich must have spent all of 15 minutes (or less) writing the dialouge for the entire movie!

Verdict: Skip it!

p.s. Instead, buy the LOTR's: RoTK DVD, switch off the lights, turn up your amps, and watch the greatest CGI battle sequences ever filmed in the history of cinema.

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Oh well! Being one big hollywood flicks admirer, I simply couldnt wait for this movie to hit the local cinemas. The snippets in the promos were awesome. The teasers of this movie were gripping. The theme of the movie (major doom on earth) sounded interesting enough, how well did the director of The Patriot, Godzilla & ID-4 depict this one on the screen is what I went to watch. I was not at all disappointed.

Synopsis:

Ice shelves cracking, Snowing in New Delhi, Multiple tornadoes ripping LA apart, Hailing wild in Tokyo, A major hurricane heading to doom NYC , Cold wave killing people in Scotland ... Ocean waves surging like crazy, Temperature dipping 10 degrees per second, Climate dropping to - 150 degrees. All this catastrophe happening on earth at some point of time, visioned by an obsessive climatologist, whose warning was taken too lightly has now zillions of people 'dying to survive'.

Review summary:

Climatologist Jack Hall and his companions Frank and Jason witness the breaking of an entire shelf on the Antartic in one of their research trips. Later Jack addresses an international conference on global warmingin New Delhi, where he explains how his theory could mean that the planet could be heading into a new ice-age. His theory is deemed ''insane'' by many, including the vice-president of the US. Soon enough, the globe starts to witness ''bad weather'' all over, at the same time. Jack wasn't expecting anything thats even remote to his theory to happen anytime soon, but its happening anyway. Almost the entire Northen Hemisphere is about to end up buried under hundreds of feet of ice, not before a tragic devastation of life.

By the time Jack's mate Professor Rapson detects and informs rapid drop in temperature in the North Atlantic, its already snowing in New Delhi, multiple tornadoes are ripping LA apart, Tokyo is being relentlessly showered by hails the twice the size of tennis balls, there are reports of choppers and planes crashing due to very fast and VERY freezing cold waves and a major hurricane heading to doom NYC ... where Jack's son Sam is, at that very moment. It dawns upon Jack that he hasn't been living much of a family life as he looks through old photographs with his wife Lucy, a dedicated doctor, hoping to hear from their son Sam.

Chip to NYC and theres Sam with his crush Laura, who were there on a school field trip. After an almost near to death experience where he saves Laura, he manages to call his folks. The regretting-his-past dad quickly informs Sam the ''do's and dont's'' to survive until help arrives and also makes a promise that he'd overcome all the odds and rescue Sam. Also at the same time, he has to well-inform & convince the president of the US to do what can possibly save as many, if not all of the people.

Well there, you have it, for those who are into characterization. Its fair enough to have this much in a catastrophe movie, unless you want the movie to look like a documentary. Dennis Quaid plays his role well as a work obsessed father. Sela Ward did justice to her bit in the movie playing a doctor who would not leave her patients to die, at the cost of her own life.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays all cool, pun unintended, during all this chaos just to be with his love interest Emmy Rossum & take care of her. Others in the cast who have their bits have performed quite contentedly. Realizations strike when doom heads your way, thats quite well said, fits in well with the Human Kind as well as Individuals.

Graphically, the movie is mother of all disaster movies. No non-sense visual effects and awesome photography is what the flick is all about. Scenes where people are being ''frozen to death'', Oceans are surging into the city drowning people, Tornadoes forming etc leave you gripped. Added with sound effects, its an edge of the seat & breath taking entertainment.

The film is worth seeing for its enormous sculptural cloud formations alone. The view of the planet from a space station from point-to-point in the movie just leaves you amazed. Director Roland Emmerich, has worked this movie through to be a ticket bought to be worth it.

For those interested: ''Do not watch this on DVD / Wait for the cable operator to play it'', watch it in a movie hall near you, asap. This is certainly not a movie for who watch a Sci-Fi Disaster movie and are lost and are wondering ''Whoa! How the hell did that building fall?'' You may have seen a Tornado movie, you may have seen a Hurricane movie, you may have seen a Hailstorm movie ... you want all in one? Go for it ... The Day after Tomorrow.

Certificate: U

Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Action.

Duration: 120 minutes.

Cast:

Professor Jack Hall: Dennis Quaid;

Sam Hall: Jake Gyllenhaal;

Terry Rapson; Ian Holm;

Dr. Lucy Hall: Sela Ward;

Laura Chapman: Emmy Rossum;

Jason Evans: Dash Mihok;

Frank Harris: Jay O. Sanders;

Crew:

Director: Roland Emmerich;

Story: Roland Emmerich;

Visual effects supervisor: Karen Goulekas;

Director of photography: Ueli Steiger;

Music: Harald Kloser.

Distributor:

20th Century Fox.

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We have been watching the trailer from 4 months, every time we went to a movie, we made sure we didn?t miss the trailer, we were amazed at the trailer, those effects of the world reaching its second ice age gripped us, and it was just very assuring for us to see at the end of the trailer that this was from the maker of Independence Day, which is still in the top 10 of the all time grosser.

The expectations were growing on us for this movie, I was constantly checking the cinemas site, for the timings and to check if there was a premier show, well I found out that there was a premier on the 27th, we were full of excitement, I went on the 26th at 10:30 in the cold and bought 6 tickets for the movie.

The big day arrives, and we set out to the cinemas, the movie starts, as it goes on we come are shown 3 people researching somewhere like Alaska or Antarctica, suddenly there is a crack in the ice and the whole island rips apart, the scene where Jack (the two primary characters of the movie and Sam is his son) jumps to the other side of the crack to fetch some data is excellently taken, you feel this was just the starting of the roller coaster ride, Jack gives a seminar in New Delhi about the global warming and warns that the planet could have an ice age in about a hundred years, the politicians are concerned about economy and no one heeds Jacks advise.

As you expect everything starts happening in the next couple of days and jack decides that the entire northern hemisphere is going to be wiped out, in the mean while Sam, Jacks son, with a group sets out to new York, from Washington, the first city to be hit is Los Angeles, then its New York?s turn, the sea overflows and floods New York, a group runs into the city library, Sam is one of them, then the water freezes, and turns into ice, Sam and the group stay alive by burning books constantly, Sam calls his dad, very just after the flooding, Jack makes a promise he will come for him.

Between all this chaos there are beautiful special effects, and miniature creations that cheat our eyes with out any doubt, but the thing to be noticed is, even if the effects are brilliant and graphically rich, its nothing that we haven?t seen before, there is a scene in the streets of New York where water floods the streets, I remember a scene from Independence day when the alien ship release a powerful ray to blast a huge building which sends the cars in to a frenzy, everything flying around, it?s the same. The special effects are good, but nothing new.

Lets get back to the happenings, people start to evacuate various parts, and jacks theory of what is going on is put into use, well Sam who was frightened of the bumps in the flight he arrives in NY, suddenly becomes brave, brave, smart and so situation conscious that he seems to have all the answers to everything that?s going on. Well what happens after that is thrash, Jack starts off in a car with his two buddies, the car breaks down, so they start their trek, and finally Jack meets Sam, it?s a totally personal affair, for a movie that claims to end the world.

Did you say Logic ?? What Logic ?

Jack Hall is a ''climatologist'' who knows that global warming may start a new ice age. When hurricanes and tornadoes hit Los Angles and start ripping up other cities instantaneously, why does he let his son leave to New York?

He says he will walk if necessary, in reaching his son in New York, from Washington is he joking.

Why the hell does he take his two buddies, are they indebted to him in some way, don?t they have their families, is it for a noble cause, no, then why? We will never know.

Sam is not ill or physically handicapped, then why does Jack have to go to his rescue and anyway what would he do even if he got there. What is the point?

If ?150 degrees of temperature is blowing across and is freezing everything in its way, it freezes the door of the Library where Sam is taking cover, but they still keep alive by burning books. Yes, books in a fireplace.

Sims girlfriend is injured, everything is frozen outside, there is a ship outside the library that came in with the tide, and Sam braves all odds to get to the medicine room of the ship, and gets the penicillin and saves his girlfriend. So what?s missing here? the penicillin isn?t frozen.

The difference

The difference to some very good mass destruction or fight back movies is, take Independence day had a great cast, which we still relate to, titanic has jack and rose which no one will ever forget, I think the recipe to a good disaster movies is the characterization and how we relate to them. There is no adventure in the movie, there are no great rescues, no nerve whacking movements, nothing that will make you excited, only a couple of scenes where NY is flooded and LA is hit by tornados.

My Advice

If you like special effects and haven?t seen a special effects movie for a long time, this one is for you, if you see every movie that is released and are already fed up of the amount of SFX used in Hollywood, I would just ask you to watch the trainer a couple of time, that would do.

My Verdict

It?s a disappointment from the makers of the Independence Day, Godzilla and the patriot; it?s a huge disappointment. and after 9/11 is this what you want to see, the whole of NY being wiped out. Why not watch Shrek 2, Hey Dooonkey here I come...

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