DVD Reviews

The Day After Tomorrow

We’ve seen our fair share of disaster flicks; tornados, volcanoes, earthquakes, meltdowns, killer bees, aliens… just about every kind of disaster one could think of has been made into a movie.  So how do you make a disaster flick that hasn’t been done before?  You put several disasters in one movie!  Call it the ultimate disaster flick if you like.  The Day After Tomorrow falls under this category.

The director of Independence Day has made a film that is essentially several disaster flicks in one.  Tornados, tidal waves, blizzards, and even hail are some of the ‘villains’ in this film, which is about a father who treads though miles upon miles of ice and snow brought on my a second ice age to rescue his son.  While combining a personal story with worldwide catastrophe often makes for an entertaining film, The Day After Tomorrow unfortunately comes up short, losing its momentum halfway through.  Not even all the dazzling special effects and high production values could help the poor script and unconvincing performances.  All in all the film just does not work.  But it is a popcorn film with some moments of excitement and many will find it to be an entertaining flick for a lazy weekend.

Surprisingly this film only gets the single disc treatment, which is uncommon nowadays for action films.  On the other hand, don’t be surprised if a two-disc special edition is released in the following months.  For now, this is what we get, which is not entirely bad.  Both the image and sound qualities are pristine.  The widescreen image glows with colours and sharpness.  There’s not a defect in sight.  The sound, both 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS, beautifully creates surround effects that put you right in the middle of the disaster.  The sound explodes though your sound system with tremendous effect and sharpness.  Both these qualities alone make this DVD an excellent demo disc.

The features on the disc vary from good to bad, but at least you’re getting this much on a single disc release.  Two commentaries are offered, but only one is recommended.  The director and producer commentary is a joke, with the director saying very little and the obnoxious producer saying too much.  In the end they have nothing useful to say.  In fact everything that you should be hearing on a commentary with the director is found on the technical commentary with members of the crew, who offer a more insightful commentary.  It’s a little surprising that a technical commentary did not include members of the digital effects team, but it is still a hell of a lot better than the other commentary.  Other features include DVD-ROM weblinks, deleted scenes, a bonus trailer for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and a feature that is the highlight of the disc, a multi-angle sequence from one scene where you can listen to the different layers of audio that make up that one scene.  Multi-angle sequences are always fun, and they do something different here by offering a way to view a scene that hasn’t been done before or two often.

The Day After Tomorrow is not a great film.  It is an entertaining popcorn flick, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good film.  But it does make for a good DVD and translates to the format very well.  It’s a decent DVD with pristine picture and sound that makes for a great demo disc.  The features are not too impressive but not disappointing either; though don’t be surprised if a more extensive special edition is released later.  If you’re looking for something brainless and exciting to watch, The Day After Tomorrow may be what you’re looking for.  The DVD does make the film a little more enjoyable, but not by much.  But it will look great on your system at home!  Just don’t expect the film to be that great.  If you’re looking for something intelligent and logical, look elsewhere.  Even disaster flicks can be more intelligent than this.

Review By Chris Emery