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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