The Day After Tomorrow

with Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum
Directed and written by Roland Emmerich
(Twentieth Century Fox)
by Lauren Bussard

I originally saw this movie in the theatre when I paid to see Anchorman and then afterward, my boyfriend and I decided to sneak into a second movie for free, we settled on The Day After Tomorrow, mainly because it was the only film in the theater that happened to be just starting.

But, despite all my expectations that it would be just another melodramatic movie chocked full of lame, computer-generated special effects, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie then, and I enjoyed it even more after watching the two-disc collectors edition on DVD, which includes 10 deleted scenes with director/producer commentary and The Science of Climate Change documentary, which is actually (surprisingly) pretty interesting.

The plot of the actual movie is a bit far-fetched, but it goes something like this: When global warming triggers the onset of a new ice age, climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) must battle Mother Nature to save his son, Sam (everyone’s favorite, Jake Gyllenhaal), who’s trapped in the frigid wasteland of Manhattan along with a small band of survivors who are fighting to stay alive. In general, Jack must save his son, his failed marriage, and at the same time, the fate of the world.

I can see why it didn’t win an Oscar, but I can wholeheartedly say that this movie is 123 minutes of a nonstop rollercoaster ride through tornadoes, hail, tsunamis, rain, snow, and, of course, ice. Oh wait, and how could I forget the rabid wolves that are on the loose??? That plot twist should sell you right there.
(www.foxhome.com)