The Day After Tomorrow
So what does a few degrees matter in the course of human events? Apparently, in "The Day After Tomorrow", it means everything. Global warming has caused the Arctic Ice Shelf to break off into the ocean, creating an influx of fresh water into the ocean that wreaks havoc on the world's weather. Hail in Tokyo, snow in New Delhi, and tornadoes in Los Angeles. It all leads up to the big one, some kind of ice hurricane headed toward New York with an eye that will freeze people to death. At the center of it all? Dennis Quaid, of course. He is Dr. Jack Hall, a paleoclimatologist who predicted this would happen, albeit at a much slower pace. His son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is in New York for an academic competition intended to woo a girl. After unsuccessfully convincing the Vice President of the effects of global warming and informing the President of the consequences, Jack races to Sam before it's too late.

Isn't it amazing how these weather phenomena know to target major human landmarks? The Hollywood sign gets destroyed. We see pictures of a snow-covered Taj Mahal. A hurricane formed hundreds of miles away sets its sights on Manhattan. Yes, the weather is the main story, but the human story seems a bit more implausible too. Jack walking the way to Manhattan from Washington D.C? Even his fellow colleagues thought he was mad. Overlooking this and many other plot points that don't make sense, the film by Roland Emmerich dazzles on-screen with its special effects with very well done depictions of tornadoes, floods, and giant hailstorms. But unlike even Independence Day, these characters are too predictable to make us care for them. It's also really quite depressing, with very few light-hearted moments. But in the end, the disaster begins to pass so that there will be a tomorrow, and even a day after tomorrow. 2 stars