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The Day After Tomorrow
- Review Date: October 13, 2004
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2004
Common Sense Media says
Some cool special effects...that's about it.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has intense peril and violence, with the destruction of much of the world. Millions of people are killed, mostly off-screen, though there are some dead bodies and major characters are killed. There are brief images of grisly injuries. Characters drink, including drinking as a way to dull the sadness. Characters sacrifice themselves, sometimes by killing themselves, to save others. A strength of the movie is the portrayal of men and women of different races with courage and ability and devotion, including a loving inter-racial marriage.
What's the story?
In THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, paeloclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) figures out that the global warming problem is much more serious than everyone thought, but the vice president of the United States and other government officials dismiss Jack's call for action. With various weather-related disasters occurring all around (hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves, deep freezes, etc.), Jack sets out to save the world. He must also rescue his son (Jake Gyllenhaal), who's stranded in New York City.
Is it any good?
Co-writer and director Roland Emmerich gave us an entertaining disaster movie with Independence Day. This one has some of the same ingredients, but they don't mix as well because it does not have the some heart or the zing that Will Smith, Robert Loggia, and Jeff Goldblum brought to that film. The Day After Tomorrow does have some striking visuals and cool special effects, from hailstones the size of basketballs in Tokyo to a huge Russian ship floating ghost-like through what once was 5th Avenue. But to the extent there was ever any pleasure possible in seeing New York City destroyed, that has surely been diminished by 9/11.
This movie gives us too much destruction to take in, but also too little -- we see only a small group of dead bodies, and the survivors have to deal with problems that are almost quaint and antiseptic compared to the real-life aftermath of lesser disasters. The drama seems curiously muted as well; with the exception of the Vice President's arrogance, just about everyone else is uniformly calm, dedicated, resigned, and heroic. Wouldn't we see some panic? Some selfishness? Some desperation? Some consequences? Combined with preposterous plot turns, this further diminishes the emotional impact of the movie's themes.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about global warming and research the efforts by scientists and politicians to prevent further damage to the ozone layer. They could also talk about why the librarian wanted to save the Gutenberg Bible and about how all of the characters think about (and rearrange) their priorities in the face of disaster. Would your choice for your favorite vacation be like Sam's? Whose decisions do you approve of and why? The politicians speak of "triage," making the very tough decisions to let some people die so that more can live. How do people make those choices? What do you think about the way they decide to define "win?" What will happen in the weeks following the end of the movie, and what will the world look like a year later?
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AGE
Weak plot, but great special effects
The Day After Tomorrow wasn't special. It was very good, but it was also very predictable. Not to mention inaccurate and extremely far-fetched. The characters are good role models, and they sacrifice many things to protect others and to keep their promises. They're all in all good role models. The whole plot is fairly rushed, and it is especially inaccurate how they play in the disasters. First they say it won't happen in their lifetime, then it'll happen in a couple months, and so on. On the plus side, there were great special effects in this movie, and that's what made it so good. All in all, The Day After Tomorrow was okay. Brittle plot and story, but amazing special effects and acting.
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AGE
Good for tweens
Good flick. Not the end of the world if not seen.
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AGE
the day after tomorrow reveiw
I think that this movie was great! it wasnt too scary in the sense that the world is going to end! and there isnt that much bad language. just a few words. no swearing though.
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AGE
Mature tweens and teens
Role models: People try and help the survivors with their lives.
Sex: Some kissing
Violence: Some blood, dead bodies are shown consistantly. Young people have graphic wounds.
message: Depressing
language: Some language like s--t, d--n, a--, etc.
drinking: Little drinking or smoking
Connsumerismn: FOX news is shown consistantly in the movie.
Is the movie good?: Absolutley
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AGE
Must See!
One of my alltime favorites. The Day After Tommorrow captured me from the beginning. Disappointing sequel but the original makes up for that. A few minor cuss words here and there, but that can't be helped. They're in all good films.
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AGE
great movie, but with some violent scenes
this movie is a great educational thriller. i watched it in science class last year and we looked forward to it everyday. one thing that may bother people is some frozen bodies. the special effects are great, which makes all of the action scenes very realistic, but also might scare some younger viewers. one scene that might scare young viewers is when a helicopter goes down and when the pilot comes out, he freezes slowly until he is all ice. also, some realistic wounds are shown. as for romance, all there is is teens kissing. the only drug reference i can remember is when the men in the lab drink some whiskey. there are a few swears, but the language is not too bad. they refer to fox quite alot, but you dont notice it that much. all of the main characters are good role models, so you dont have to worry about that also. to sum it up, this is a great movie with some violent scenes. i recommend this for people that would understand what is going on
(generally ages 8+).
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AGE
Scary, good effects
Good movie, but as a tween, WAY TO SCARY!! It had good special effects, but the story was just plain creepy. Totally for people 15 an up!
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Roland Emmerich |
| Cast: | Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Jake Gyllenhaal |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 123 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 28, 2004 |
| DVD release date: | October 12, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | intense situations of peril |
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