Day After Tomorrow

17 March 2013

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

• Director: Roland Emmerich
• Based on Book: no
• Cast: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenthal, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok, Jay O. Sanders, Sela Ward, Arjay Smith, Tamlyn Tomita, Ian Holm, Adrian Lester
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Dennis Quaid: Smart People, American Dreamz, Caveman, Far from Heaven, Great Balls of Fire
• Jake Gyllenthal: Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Proof, Moonlight Mile, The Good Girl, October Sky
• Emmy Rossum: Phantom of the Opera, Mystic River
• Dash Mihok: I Am Legend, The Guru, The Perfect Storm, The Thin Red Line, Romeo and Juliet
• Jay O. Sanders: Cadillac Records, Half Nelson, Music of the Heart, V I Warshowski
• Sela Ward: Runaway Bride, The Fugitive
• Arjay Smith: Be Kind Rewind, NYPD Blue
• Ian Holm: lots of Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings, Alien, From Hell and more
• Adrian Lester: Hustle, Hamlet, As You Like It, Born Romantic
• Why bought: Liked it the first time
• Seen: Twice. This time: November 30, 2012

It was snowing yesterday so we chose this for our Friday evening fun.

I had been surprised the first time we saw it by how good it is.  I was surprised again, thinking maybe I’d just been in a disaster-movie mood the first time. If so, I was in the same mood this time.

It’s exciting from start to finish.  The special effects are incredible and totally convincing.  How do they do this stuff?  The concept is frighteningly plausible.  The characters are well enough developed to be believable and likable. The acting is solid. Jake Gyllenthal is always good and Adrian Lester is one of my favorite actors.

So why not 5* out of 5? Oh, I don’t know.  It’s exciting, it has some political points to make, I like it. But I don’t love it. Not like I love Billy Elliot, The Commitments, Hamlet (both Branagh’s version and Adrian Lester’s) or Cabaret. I’m sure I’ll watch it again but not ten or more times like the above mentioned.

Oh come on, I like the film!

3.98 * out of 5, let’s say.