Review

Irwin Allen must be turning over in his grave at the sheer possibilities of cinematic death and devastation that is now available to Hollywood filmmakers and as evidenced in this big-budget, effects-laden disaster adventure. Imagine what he could have done with burning buildings and upside-down ships with CGI! Well, it would have had to be spectacular to rival the images that are captured on screen here in showing the destruction of half the world. Quaid plays one of those scientists who knows more than everybody else, and tries to warn of impending doom. When the effects of global warming begin to change oceanic patterns, killer tornadoes and snowstorms create a path of carnage, and Quaid seems to be the only one to recognize that a new ice age is on its way. The story and characters are cliché, we've seen and heard them many times before. In fact, they're not quite up to par with the alien fighters in director Emmerich's ID4. However, the settings and disasters in which they find themselves are awe-inspiring, some of the best special effects to date. The demolition of New York City is amazing. That wordwide annihilation occurs in the first half, and the second half is a rescue film that still holds interest suggests that the filmmakers mostly delivered. Not as consistently entertaining as ID4, and sometimes sporting subpar dialogue, The Day After Tomorrow nonetheless can be jaw-dropping, watch-the-world-crumble fun.

 -- David Bleiler