Bad in a way that only $150-million movies with awe-inspiring special effects can be bad, this environmental summer action flick (go figure!) is riddled with nonsensical pseudoscience, saddled with supposedly brainy characters (climatologists, high school science whizzes, etc.) who nonetheless haven't a scrap of common sense, and stuffed with stock characters designed for the kind of instant sympathy (or instant comic relief) that doesn't require them to actually have any personality. But for pure popcorn munching and smart aleck remarking, it's a bad movie worth the watch as scientist Dennis Quaid battles bullheaded Dick Cheney types in Washington, D.C., and then snowshoes to Manhattan in the biggest storm in 10,000 years to be with his son (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is trying to survive a spectacular, CGI-rendered, 150-foot wave that floods New York and freezes over almost instantly. Writer-director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla) knows how to put on a good fireworks display, so as long as you're prepared to be laughing at the movie, not with it, there's no reason not to have a good time. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentaries (one by co-writer/director Roland Emmerich and producer Mark Gordon; the other by co-writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff, cinematographer Ueli Steiger, editor David Brenner, and production designer Barry Chusid), two deleted scenes (7 min. total), an “audio anatomy” interactive demo of eight isolated audio track layers, and a weblink. Bottom line: pretty skimpy extra set for such an SFX-heavy film; maybe a "special edition" is coming somewhere down the line?] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review--May 17, 2005--Fox, 2 discs, 123 min., PG-13, $26.98--Making its second appearance on DVD, 2004's The Day After Tomorrow: All-Access Collector's Edition, features the same commentaries as the first release, with new DVD extras on this double-disc set including the hour-long documentary “The Force of Destiny: The Science and Politics of Climate Change," the 49-minute behind-the-scenes documentary “Two Kings and a Scribe: A Filmmaking Conversation,” a “Pushing the Envelope: Visual Effects” featurette (32 min.), 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Roland Emmerich (19 min.), three brief featurettes on music (11 min.), preproduction meetings (7 min.), and the CG shots (5 min.), an interactive audio demo, a storyboard and concept art gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: given the expansive extras and the film's popularity, this should be considered a strong optional purchase.]
The Day After Tomorrow
Fox, 124 min., PG-13, VHS: $22.98, DVD: $29.98, Oct. 12 Volume 19, Issue 5
The Day After Tomorrow
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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