The Day After Tomorrow DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Global Warming Disaster Flick Out on DVD

Anyone who's a sucker for eye-popping special effects ought to enjoy this visually-captivating, end-of-the-world extravaganza served up with side orders of selfless heroics and political intrigue. Who cares that the film's premise rests on pseudo-scientific claptrap, when you've got spectacular cinematography and a plotline which keeps you on the edge of your seat?
Nearly every scene of The Day After Tomorrow revolves around Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), a dedicated climatologist doing field research in Antarctica who narrowly escapes ground zero when a chunk of the Ice Shelf breaks off. He hightails it back to Washington, D.C. to warn the White House of the impending catastrophe.
But Jack’s appeal falls on deaf ears, global warming ensues, and that, paradoxically, triggers another Ice Age. This means we're treated to scenes of weather anomalies like a snow storm in New Delhi, pomegranate-sized hail in Tokyo, typhoons across Australia and a cyclone in Los Angeles that topples the "HOLLYWOOD" sign.
And there's absolute panic in the streets of New York City where Jack's son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is stuck because of frigid temperatures which make it too dangerous to evacuate. With the rest of the nation headed south to Mexico's relatively-livable environment, our intrepid hero embarks on a harrowing trek northward to save Sam, entombed in the iced-over N.Y. Public Library. Though the film frequently flirts with implausibility, its inaccuracies are outweighed by its thinking-man’s approach to storytelling which offers an apocalyptic perspective for just about every persuasion.
An avowed atheist finds God, astronauts watching from outer space wax romantic, doomed scientists share a last toast, a dedicated doctor stays with a cancer patient, a contrite Vice President finally cares about the environment, and most importantly, a father full of love ignores the odds to find his kid.

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for disaster flick violence featuring scenes of intense peril.
DVD extras include deleted scenes, commercials and a half-dozen different commentaries.