So this new movie from the director of Independence Day looks to be raking it in with a big, over the top disaster flick in which an ice age and tidal waves drown New York and knock the world on its ear. Tornadoes and earthquakes and an ice age- oh, my! I think the global warming also generates a giant cockroach that eats Cincinnati. I may be mistaken about that last part though.
Now cheesy disaster movies are perfectly fine entertainment. I'll assume for the sake of being nice that the producers are not thinking they're doing anything but making a fun summer movie. This thing looks to be 100 times past the claims of even the most paranoid fantasy mongerers.
As far out in never-never land as this movie is I'd think that serious advocates of global warming scenarios would run as far away from this silly popcorn movie as possible. Rand have mercy, but this looks so far OUT THERE that you'd look STUPID to use this movie in any way to try to make your point. It would have to diminish your whole credibility. It would be somewhat like if right-wingers tried to cite The Manchurian Candidate as evidence of communist infiltration of the highest levels of government.
Yet there's Al Gore, among others, going on about this movie like it's somehow realistic. Oh my god. Gore is quoted as saying "Could this really happen? I think we need to answer that question." Here is the correct answer: NO. How disconnected from reality is this guy to even ask such a dumb question?
On the other hand, I'm sure the movie will "raise awareness" among some people. For example the Florida Democrats who were too stupid to use a simple punch card voting ballot may find this movie intellectually credible.
Then there's the PERFECT response that never was from South Park creators Parker and Stone. From E! Online:
"It started when we got snuck a script of The Day After Tomorrow, that Roland Emmerich movie about how global warming causes an ice age in two days," says Stone. "It's the kind of script where you know it's going to make hundreds of millions of dollars, which makes it the greatest dumb script ever."
"We planned to secretly shoot that movie with puppets, word for word, and release it on the same day. We thought that would have been hilarious, but our lawyer convinced us we wouldn't get it released."
Article comments
1 - JR
As far out in never-never land as this movie is I'd think that serious advocates of global warming scenarios would run as far away from this silly popcorn movie as possible.
Yeah, you'd think. Then again, you might think advocates of education would run as far away from Creationism as possible.
Gore is just triangulating; somebody's got to offset the crap being passed off as science by the Right. Suffice to say there's healthy diversity of scientific opinion across our political spectrum.
2 - TDavid
We caught this matinee yesterday. The underlying global warming plot wasn't plausible, no, but it was fun :) What's wrong, Al, you can't enjoy a movie for simple fun factor? Summer Scrooge!
;)
3 - Al Barger
TDavid, come on, I SAID it could be a really fun movie, and that there's nothing wrong with that- as long as you're not silly enough to take it as anything but fantasy.
I might catch it myself when it gets to the dollar cinema in a month or two. An ice age in an air-conditioned theater might start looking pretty good somewhere in July or August.
4 - dee holloman
i would like to buy this movie on dvd
5 - Duane
For those of you that don't think this could really happen, let me quote myself, wherein I quote Professor Emmerich, from RJ Elliott's post on this subject:
Emmerich says that the science in the movie is -- and I quote -- "very, very real," So, there you have it. It's very, very real, as opposed to being merely "very real," or even "real." That's miles away from misleading, or exaggerated, or bogus, or alarmist, or very alarmist, or very, very alarmist. He's convinced me. Why would he lie?
6 - TDavid
The CGI imagery of the wall of water flooding New York is almost worth the price of admission on this one. Excellent special effects.
Al, I was just teasin' ya, don't you get the wink, manno? -> ;)
And as for owning this on DVD? Definitely. I bet those with an HDTV, progressive scan DVD and surround sound will find this movie very featureful. Kind of like T2, Jurassic Park, which are also very good high tech movies to watch.
That makes me think of making a list to share of cool movies to watch at home feature-wise.
7 - Al Barger
I got it, TDavid. I was just clarifying a bit for those squares what might not be hep to our jive. Dig?
8 - RJ Elliott
SIGH...
Here's a quote:
From: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:Uz49-T26PIYJ:www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-05-24-michaels_x.htm+%22the+day+after+tomorrow%22+%22or+both%22&hl=en
9 - RJ Elliott
Look people, this scenario is impossible. IT CAN'T FUCKING HAPPEN!
I intend to see this movie tomorrow (not the day after tomorrow...), and I suspect I will enjoy it. You know, for the special effects, not the "science."
Global Climate Change may very well be occuring as we type. You can't very well pump 200 million years worth of carbon-based fossil fuels into the atmosphere in 200 years and expect no counter-effect.
But this movie's premise is about as realistic as SHREK 2.
Sorry to disappoint...
10 - Dan the Man
Awesome graphics...first 1/3 of the movie was great. Then the last 2/3 appeared...dismal...over the top, standard fair 'just in the nick of time' events with campy character heriocs and groan-inducing predictable plot lines. The ship that jakie's character bravely boards to find medicine...does anyone in that library know how to administer penicillum?? Christ almighty, and they didn't even take a syringe. Worst of all (even worse then the fact the found the medical supply room so fast) was the wolves...are you kidding me?!??!?! They escape the city zoo, survive the tsunami, survive the bitter cold wherein the ocean freezes over...and manage to find their way into the lead characters lives. Oh but wait..as if that wasn't bad enough they then had to out-run the deep-freeze. Wind, travelling fast enough to override the natural warming (even though speed causes friction and therefore heat..) wasn't able to catch up to those moron kids as they dragged their injured buddy back to safety. ARRGGHHHH HORRIBLE!! and the dad driving/walking to his son..in new york...from D.C!!! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?! Yikes..2/10.