Disaster movies all have the same problem: they focus on the disaster. This one is no different, but going in I had such high hopes that it would tell a more interesting story: what happens after the disaster. Alas, it was not to be. The Day After Tomorrow has lots of neat special effects, but basically no plot and no real character development. A lot of the action sequences, meant to be suspenseful, were completely unnecessary and contrived. The subject matter was pedantic and alarmist. What's more, it made me re-evaluate what I think of Jake Gyllenhaal. Previously I had thought he was a very good actor, but now I think he just chose some good parts. He needs to mature a bit, get past the angsty teen roles. The only reason this movie gets any stars at all is because of Ian Holm and the characters around him. Holm is a weather researcher at a remote monitoring station in Scotland, and his subplot is wonderfully poignant. Overall, though, this film just kept making me think of how much more interesting it could have been if it had tried to tell a story instead of send a message.

Viewed: 5/27/2004 | Released: 5/27/2004 | Score: D

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