Movie Review
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow poster
By Gareth Von Kallenbach     Published May 28, 2004
US Release: May 28, 2004

Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Dennis Quaid , Jake Gyllenhaal , Emmy Rossum , Sela Ward

PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $186,740,799
D
A bitter chill will envelope the audience as they realize that they have just spent money to watch one of the worst films in history.
In the new film, ?The Day After Tomorrow,? a bitter chill will envelope the audience as they realize that they have just spent money to watch one of the worst films in history. This is the reaction that many unsuspecting theatergoers are going to have Memorial Day weekend as they watch the latest disaster film from writer/director/producer Roland Emerich.

Emerich, who (along with Dean Devlin) created the box office hits ?Stargate? and ?Independence Day? (before coming back to earth with the colossal dud, ?Godzilla?) has crafted a film so utterly devoid of entertainment value that it is as barren as the post-storm urban landscapes portrayed in the film.

The so-called story centers around a dramatic change in the earth?s weather system brought on by global warming due to industrialism run amuck. Workaholic scientist Jack Hall (Dennis Quiad) has been predicting that catastrophic weather changes are coming but his pleas fall on deaf ears, especially those of the Vice President who is more concerned with economic advancement than on climate stability.

Jack is estranged from his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), as his father seems to have plenty of time to speak to people all over the world but has had little time for him and his mother Lucy (Sela Ward), which has lead to a divorce. Sam is heading to New York for a conference and soon becomes trapped in the public library when severe flooding and blizzard conditions arrive.

Jack decides that he will be brave and treks to New York to rescue his son fueled by guilt for not being there for him in the past. While it is a nice sentiment, the journey is filled with so many gigantic holes that it strains in logic. The scenes of tornadoes ravaging Los Angeles and severe flooding and snow in New York are visually impressive, but the characters are so bland that you do not care at all if they live or die.

Gyllenhaal is boring with his blank look and seems incapable of registering any emotion or enthusiasm for his part; Quaid is not much better, as it seems like he is delivering his lines in his sleep. The lines are so bad that the audience was laughing during scenes of crisis meant to have the audience on the edge.

People in the audience were leaving the room during some of the dramatic sequences, and some didn?t even return. But who can blame them, as I have seen more excitement at a knitting demonstration than in this two-hour mess of a movie. This is a shame, as the message of ?The Day After Tomorrow? is a good one but it is lost amongst the empty characters and painful dialogue. Here is hoping that the day following this film?s release brings better movies ? ?Spider-Man 2,? where are you when we need you most?
Gareth's Grade: D
Gareth's Overall Grading: 50 graded movies
A6.0%
B44.0%
C40.0%
D10.0%
F0.0%
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