Comments on Day After Tomorrow Film

Heather: I just wanted to share with you both that my husband and I are off to the movies this afternoon to go and experience ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ and I am wearing my unknowncountry.com t-shirt. I hope I get at least one person there to recognize it?LATER: Price of 2 adult movie tickets: $14.00 Price of one small popcorn and a large water at concession stand: $6.75 Watching summer blockbuster movie made from book by two men I admire, while tightly clenching husband’s hand: priceless.

Ken: Saw your movie “The Day After Tomorrow” yesterday morning, the first showing at our local theatre. It was great to see your names in the credits (I always watch the credits). By the way, it has been raining here in the Midwest almost non-stop for weeks and weeks.

Jeanne: The audience applauded wildly afterwards. I saw the movie in Portland, Oregon.

Nancy: I just wanted to say thanks for the wake-up call?they can’t ignore flash-frozen mammoths.

Cather: I thought the film was well produced and not too preachy.

Fernando: As we were leaving the theater, we began discussing the implications and scientific basis for the film. I told them it’s very hard to see the people of the world even considering changing or attempting to change our current global situation since they can’t even show common courtesy to others watching the film in the theater.

John: Be not surprised at the head-in-the-sand attitude of the media: they report what they’re told by their employers. I believe, regrettably that Homo sapiens must pass through the catastrophe of a new ice age, preceded by escalating examples of extreme weather (storms in Midwest the most recent examples) in order to evolve to a new consciousness.

Prof. Cherry: Often we ask what can we do as people of this planet? I know that the media and all its attendant arms of government, oil and big business do not care what happens to this planet. I do. No doubt I will include [?The Day After Tomorrow?] in my syllabus next semester. That’s what I can do.

Stacy from Canada: I saw the movie last night, I wanted to sob and scream at the same time. Why isn’t everyone on this planet opening their eyes to this whole truth? I am so frustrated at man’s stupidity for allowing ego, power and greed to do this to the rest of us who aren’t. It seems I’ve known forever we are headed for this ice age, and last night, knew without a doubt, it could happen in MY lifetime. I’m 65.

Ross from the U.K.: It was extremely well done and the film as a whole has stayed with me since seeing it at the weekend. The very next day I was having a word with some youngsters who had thrown a large amount of litter around where they were sitting in a park nearby, and that was being blown about over a wide area. During this encounter I asked the girl if she cared about the environment. “Not really” was her reply. If the young don’t even care then we’ve had it.

Helena from Greece: I believe that it opened their eyes to a possible reality but I believe that many just thought it was a fun and fast-paced movie that entertained them. I guess my favorite and saddest part was when the teen was warning the people to not leave the building as it was too dangerous for them to travel outside. It made me realize that you might intuitively know something is coming while others still will not or cannot heed the warning signs.

Tom: I felt that the movie did and excellent job of explaining the mechanism behind sudden global climate change. My main complaint about the movie was that it was not realistic enough. A lot of people died, but the ugly side of humanity was not shown (looting, murder, fighting over food, cannibalism, abuse of power by the military). In my opinion, the dog should have and would have been eaten (at least).

June: I thought the special effects were very convincing and believable-except for the wolves on the ship?they would not, and do not act that way. With their natural fear of humans and strange surroundings, particularly after being caged and exposed to unusual weather, and all the frozen dead animals and bodies around, they would have had plenty to scavenge and would have no need to attack anything. The movie wolves just did not have the body language of real wolves. The whole audience was laughing hysterically when the Americans were getting out of their SUVs and desperately crossing the Rio Grande?that was priceless.

Craig: Not as much political correctness as I expected, although the VP villain looked like Cheney. I think the bandwagon-jumping Al Gores of the world miss the point. These cycles will happen no matter what we do. We are obviously accelerating the process and could do a better job stewarding our planet. It was worth the $6.

Angel: I think the real day after tomorrow would be full of wars, and would feel like a real hell for the survivors. There is not question about any government asking for permission to some other country?power would prevail and the U.S. would certainly show its authority and power. Mexico would stop existing and the U.S. would take it as another state. I think the movie is very unrealistic, as far as human nature is concerned.

John: Afterwards, I kept thinking about another film, The China Syndrome, and how it presaged the Three Mile Island accident. I keep wondering if Day After Tomorrow might not be the 21st century version of that film. Just this morning I was watching the local news here in Los Angeles, and the weatherman was commenting on the storm moving across the U.S. right now and the rash of tornadoes it’s bringing with it. He said the severity of satellite images he’s seeing is “incredible” and that he’s never seen anything like it before. It was like a scene straight out of your movie!

Bob from Canada: I think the fictionalization of the account will provide refuge for skeptics and ostriches alike and in the end nothing will have changed. I read the Coming Global Superstorm a couple of years ago and found it much more frightening and it sure got my attention.

Duncan from Canada: I tossed in my sleep all night mulling over the implications of global warming and climate change, and to be honest, I was a bit scared.

Norman: The LA Times critic said that the great thing about disaster movies is that you can watch someone else going through the disaster, and this was different because it made the point that the next casualty could be you. There were over 100 twisters in the heartland of America yesterday.

David: So the Master of the Key talked to you about this in June 1998 and it took about six years before the possibility of this sort of climate change was depicted on the big screen for all to see. The visitors (and I would count MotK as one of them) clearly know how to influence our culture without revealing themselves directly.

Hollis: What I disliked?The obligatory sick kid (Peter) who seems to be in all disaster movies. What I liked?The special effects were incredible and looked so real. I thought it was so funny how Mexico wouldn’t let the Americans across the border, and finally did because we agreed to forgive their debt. I liked the addition of the hungry wolves that escaped from the zoo.

Susan: I live in a hippie commune in NYC. I tried to get my fellow communitarians to go see the film, but they were more interested in promoting it and going to protest against Bush environmental policies. While I appreciated their efforts at handing out fliers and raising awareness, I really wish that they would support the film monetarily as well. Personally, I thought the film needed to be more “noir” and less “Spielbergian” (for example: The Dick Cheney character at the end would have more than likely scapegoated others for what happened, and the Third Worldians might not have been so accepting of us in reality). If I ever, ever see the birds flying south like they did in the film, you can bet I’ll be flying with them on my own bird, figuratively speaking.

Karl: I would’ve liked to have seen scenes from different European cities as well as more of the U.S. Having views from the space station was a nice touch! The part of the movie that made the biggest impression on me was the tornadoes in LA. I’ll remember that forever.

Douglas: When I left the theater in Houston on Sunday after seeing the show I could not help but scan the sky for threatening clouds in a way I never did before. The true test of whether a film is going to be a hit is its word-of-mouth. I have had no hesitation among my friends in recommending the show as a must-see event.

Benjamin: I enjoyed the movie very much, except for one thing: the wolves. The falsehood being spread about wolves and their aggressiveness towards humans is sickening, it didn’t further the plot at all, and detracted from the more important plot element, being the freezing.

Carla: People can only handle so much information on a conscious level. But this movie plants a seed on the subconscious level, and that is where the work is done.

Jerry: This past summer the sea water off the Outer Banks of Carolina was measured at 40 degrees! And everyone is denying you and Art are right? In January I witnessed New York City nearly frozen solid. My family and I ascended the Empire State Building and looked around. I could only think of one thing, “This looks like Hell frozen over.” The movie had one major flaw: profiteering?there was virtually none (other than by rich folks and cabs) by big business or big government. Wolves? No?wild German shepherds or ravished poodles, not wolves. That?s the only real flaw.

Sharon: If my family could all come to the same consensus?that the movie was both entertaining and sobering?then this movie is sure to be a hit! The tornadoes scene in L.A. was sort of weird because of all the people who just stood there and were blown away. I’m from Alabama and we know to get indoors and downstairs!

Carl: The Atlantic ocean submersing Manhattan and watching the progress of the storm through the eyes of those in the international space station are the two enduring images that will remain with me. What helpless little ants we are!

Quila: The best part was when I got home. I turned on the Weather Channel as I usually do before bed and saw a report of grapefruit-sized hail hitting somewhere in the Midwest where all the tornadoes occurred. I thought I was back watching the movie!

Angela from Australia: Here in Australia we have been MUCH better served by our media. Readers of the weekend edition of The Australian, probably the biggest national newspaper in the country, were treated to a wholly serious article on sudden climate change, in the magazine supplement. It mentions the movie and draws on the Pentagon report.

Bob: Back in March 1979, I spoke with my cousin?s wife who worked for a major energy company about whether or not there was any truth to the film ?The China Syndrome.? Here answer was NO! and she went on for about 45 minutes to an hour explaining why it could not happen….and then a bulletin on TV came across the screen about a place called “Three Mile Island.” I believe the CATO institute and the Bush administration are a lot like my cousin?s wife, who truly believed what she was told.

Susan: I kept telling myself that this was just a movie, but my heart would not let go. I felt that the actions of the characters and most of the dialogue was exactly how people would react if such life-altering events were happening around the world. Most people are not complex human beings who say incredible things at the right moment. Shame on the movie reviewers for expecting such high brow garbage?didn’t they know what to expect from Roland Emmerich after Independence Day? Thank you so much for letting me express my opinion, but if you will excuse me now I need to start packing and start heading for warmer climates. The National Weather Service is recruiting weather watchers for the Central Oregon Coast?apparently they are expecting severe weather related events to occur this summer such as high wind speeds, large hail stones and funnel clouds. Sound familiar?

Fil: The bottom line is it does a good deed to humanity by addressing the fact that we have a big problem on our hands. Anything that makes its way into the mainstream in terms of entertainment has a large scale impact on awareness. You guys did a great service in getting the word out to the masses, all that’s left is audience participation?how many will pay attention?

Paul: One scene that I am familiar with (because it is used on all the commercials) is the one of the tidal surge engulfing the Statue of Liberty before crashing into Manhattan–right where I work. Why? Because the image is nearly impossible! Look at the picture attached. The Statue is hit from behind as the wave rushes towards Manhattan. But if the wave really formed from the angle shown, it would be coming from New Jersey! Now while not everything that has come from Jersey may be beneficial for New York, this a bad rep you don?t want to provide them (I still retain my sense of humor).

Deb: Wanted to mention that one of my favorite bits of the movie was the wolves. I got a nice little smile as it brought back memories of “The Wolfen,” both the book and the film. Those were some scary wolves! I’m not sure why they were animated in that stylized, herky jerky way but it made them really creepy. And recalled the eerie wolf painting used in the movie, “Communion.”

Jeremy: The big problem is that it is a movie about the end of the world but the world does not end. By film’s close we are not left with a gut-wrenching sense of impending doom. At least half of America survives, including many of those in the Northern states as implied by seeing those many New Yorkers on their rooftops. We have no idea about the rest of the world, except for Mexico and South America which we know are fine. In my estimation, this is what kills the movie. I know Hollywood is fond of happy endings, but come on!?ICE AGE!

David: I enjoyed the dedication of the Dennis Quaid’s character to his son and his coworkers. I thought the ridicule and nay-saying regarding projections by anti-warming individuals was quite tempered and accurate. A majority of people I talk with about this subject give me the cold shoulder or treat me like I am daft. I get a better reception discussing UFOs (due to longer media exposure?).

Ed: As it turns out, the movie was much better than I expected. I rate it as one of the best three disaster movies of all time! Therein lies the rub. Because it takes place over the course of five days instead of at least six weeks, most people will see it as just entertainment. Which is a pity. Because something happened to those mammoths so that their stomach contents remained completely undigested for tens of thousands of years. That same thing happed to that plant and to Otzi in the Alps.

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