"It’s
the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine."
SYNOPSIS
When the Earth
faces a global climate shift, a Climatologist (Dennis Quaid) and his
son (Jake Gyllenhaal) must do whatever it takes to make sure as many
people as possible survive the coming Ice Age.
CRITIQUE
What is it about
disaster films that make them so much fun? Why do we get so much joy
from seeing famous landmarks getting wiped off the face of the Earth?
Most of the time we just get to see one city face the wrath of nature,
but in Day After Tomorrow, we get to see the whole world
(though mostly just LA and New York) get trashed by Mother Nature.
The Day After
Tomorrow
is, on one level, pretentious and preachy, but on another, it’s really
stupid, silly fun. And that’s what makes it work. While the film
does have a real message about how important it is for the entire
human race to stop depending on products that pollute our world, it’s
done in such a way that one expects the words "and the moral to the
story is…" to flash on the screen at the appropriate time. However,
this can be forgiven due to the fun ride that this film takes you on.
In a film like this, things like plot, character development, and
logic take a back seat to beautiful and sometimes frightening visuals
(F5 tornados ripping up LA, a giant wall of water crushing New York,
and the entire Northern Hemisphere being frozen in an instant.)
Is it a good movie?
Not really. The script is terrible; the science is laughable, and so
on. Basically it’s a typical "summer blockbuster." However, being the
typical stupid summer blockbuster, there is a lot of fun to be had
with this film.
THE VIDEO
The transfer of
Day After Tomorrow is wonderful. Some of the computer effects
look, as good (the destruction of New York) or much better than (the
wolves) they did in theaters. The black levels are consistent
throughout. This is a very good transfer.
THE AUDIO
The film is
presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1. Both mixes are really
good. The ambient sounds are very effective. A film like this needs a
good mix, and that is what it has.
THE EXTRAS
Disc 1:
Commentary by
Roland Emmerich and Producer Mark Gordon:
A very good commentary track that goes over the different aspects of
the film making experience. While the two do crack jokes every now
and then, the jokes never throw off the momentum of the track or get
in the way of information.
Commentary by
Co-Writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Director of Photography Ueli Steiger,
Editor David Brenner, and Production Designer Barry Chusid: While not as entertaining as the Emmerich/Gordon
commentary, this track also is ripe with info about the film.
Disc 2:
Pre-Production
Meeting:
A look at one of the Pre-Production meetings that Emmerich had with
his crew. This is a great look at the planning that goes into making a
visual effects film like this.
Pre-visualization:
A look at the Pre-visualization process of special effects.
Two Kings and a
Scribe: A Filmmaking Conversation:
An excellent documentary about the making of Day After Tomorrow.
One of the best “making of” documentaries that I’ve seen.
Pushing the
Envelope: Visual Effects:
A good look at the visual effects of the film.
Scoring:
A peek at a scoring session of the film, not that interesting.
Deleted Scenes:
10 scenes cut from the film (with commentary available) showing a
deleted subplot that would have really hurt the film had it been kept
in the film.
Audio Anatomy:
A breakdown of the different sound elements from the “Helicopter Deep
Freeze” scene of the film. This is a great way to see how many
different sound elements come together to create a scene.
The Force of
Destiny: The Science and Politics of Climate Change: A wonderful documentary that goes into the real science of climate
change, and debunks most of the "science" that is seen in the film.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While the film is a
silly diversion, the DVD itself is the prize. With wonderful looks
into the filmmaking process and a science documentary that takes a
real look at the film as well as the actual global warming issue, this
is a great DVD.
