Review: The Day After Tomorrow (PG-13)
Far fetched scenario in which a new ice age arrives in less time than it takes for a carton of milk to expire, in a formulaic disaster epic that is more veiled propaganda than entertainment, and barely veiled propaganda at that. The acting seems passable enough, but let’s face it – this isn’t Shakespeare. There isn’t a lot of subtle shading that goes into communicating the message “OHMYGOD I’M SO COLD” and the viewer is treated to a few hours of that.
As you watch this, you get the feeling that you’ve seen this movie before, a feeling so strong that it leaves you thinking that you can remember what’s going to happen next. “Oh, this is where the guy sacrifices himself to keep the others from endangering themselves trying to save him” – and he does. We know exactly what’s going to happen to all of these people before it does, and we don’t care, because they exist as archetypes, not as characters with developed personalities of their own. “Who am I? I’m the angry neglected child whose workaholic father is going to prove his love through a heroic rescue … have we met?”
Indeed we have, son, more times than we can count. Watch this one if you must, but try not to operate any heavy machinery afterward.
Rating: .01 of a star. (First posted to my Flixster account, May 28, 2008)
