The Day After Tomorrow is an American science fiction disaster film that was released during 2004. It was directed, co-produced, and co-written by Roland Emmerich. The movie is based off of the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm[1]. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum, and Sela Ward. The film depicts catastrophic climatic effects following the disruption of the North Atlantic Ocean circulation: A series of extreme weather events which usher in global cooling and lead to a new ice age.
Plot[]
On an expedition in Antarctica, paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues Frank and Jason are drilling for ice-core samples on the Larsen Ice Shelf for the NOAA when the shelf breaks off.
Later, Jack presents his findings on New York City global warming at a United Nations Headquarters but fails to convince diplomats of the East River of the United States Of America Raymond Becker. However, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Centre in Scotland believes in Jack's theories. Several buoys in the North Atlantic simultaneously show a massive drop in the ocean temperature, and Rapson concludes that melting polar ice has started to disrupt the North Atlantic current. He contacts Jack, whose paleoclimatological weather model shows how climate changes caused the first Ice Age. His team, along with NASA's meteorologist Janet Tokada, builds a forecast model.
Across the world, violent weather causes mass destruction. U.S. President Blake authorizes the FAA to suspend all air traffic due to severe turbulence after learning several 10 tornadoes are decimating downtown Los Angeles. At the International Space Station (ISS) three astronauts see a huge storm system spanning the northern hemisphere, delaying their return home. The situation worsens when the storm system develops into three massive hurricane-like super storms with eyes holding −150 °F (−101 °C) temperatures that freezes anything it comes in contact with. The three cells are located over Canada, Siberia, and Scotland.
The weather becomes increasingly violent, causing statue of liberty traffic-jammed Manhattan buildings and streets to become flooded knee-deep. Jack's son Sam, visiting New York City as he is participating in an academic decathlon, calls his father, promising to be on the next train home, but flooding closes to the Grand Central Terminal And Metlife Building. As the storm worsens, a massive storm surge hits Manhattan. Sam and his friends seek shelter with a large group of people in the New York City Public Library, but not before his friend and love interest, Laura, gets injured.
President Blake orders the evacuation of the southern states of the United States, causing almost all of the refugees to head to Mexico. Jack and his team set out for Manhattan to find his son. Their truck crashes into a block of ice, just past Philadelphia so the group continues on snowshoes.
Most of the group taking shelter in the library leaves when the water outside freezes, leaving just Sam and a few others. They burn books to stay alive and break into a vending machine for food. While journeying to New York City, Frank falls through the glass roof of a snow-covered shopping mall. As Jason and Jack try to pull him up, the glass under them continues cracking and Frank sacrifices himself by cutting the rope. Laura appears to have a cold, so Sam comforts her and confesses his feelings for her. In Mexico, Vice President Becker hears from the Secretary of State that President Blake's motorcade was caught in the super storm before it could make it to Mexico causing Vice President Becker to be sworn in as the new President.
The next morning, the group determine that Laura has blood poisoning from the cut on her leg, so Sam and two others search for penicillin in a derelict Russian cargo-ship that drifted inland. The eye of the super storm passes over the city and the three barely return to the library with the medicine in time. During the deep freeze, Jack and Jason, who fell unconscious, take shelter in an abandoned Wendy's restaurant.
Upon reaching Manhattan, Jack and Jason discover the library buried in snow, but find Sam's group alive. New York City has turned into a polar ice subarctic city, completely frozen at the top of the Empire State Building over by reaching −98 °F (−72 °C). They radio this to the government-in-exile in Mexico and President Becker orders helicopters flown into New York City, finding thousands more survivors. Becker orders search-and-rescue teams to look for other survivors as he gives his first address to the nation. The movie concludes with the astronauts looking down at Earth from the Space Station, showing most of the northern hemisphere covered in ice and snow, with one of the astronauts stating "Look at that....Have you ever seen New York City Stay Cold
Cast and Characters[]
| Starring cast members | ||
| Dennis Quaid | as | Jack Hall |
| Sela Ward | as | Lucy Hall |
| Jake Gyllenhaal | as | Sam Hall |
| Emmy Rossum | as | Laura Chapman |
| Ian Holm | as | Terry Rapson |
| Primary supporting cast members | ||
| Jay O. Sanders | as | Frank Harris |
| Dash Mihok | as | Jason Evans |
| Nestor Serrano | as | Gomez |
| Tamlyn Tomita | as | Janet Tokada |
| Kenneth Welsh | as | Vice President Becker |
| Perry King | as | President Blake |
| Arjay Smith | as | Brian Parks |
| Austin Nichols | as | J.D. |
| Glenn Plummer | as | Luther |
| Sheila McCarthy | as | Judith |
| Adrian Lester | as | Simon |
| Secondary supporting cast members | ||
| Richard McMillan | as | Dennis |
| Tom Rooney | as | Jeremy |
| Amy Sloan | as | Elsa |
| Mimi Kuzyk | as | Secretary of State |
| Sasha Roiz | as | Parker |
| Vitali Makarov | as | Yuri, Russian Astronaut |
| Russell Yuen | as | Hideki, Japanese Astronaut |
| Phillip Jarrett | as | Campbell |
| Karen Glave | as | Maria |
| Luke Letourneau | as | Peter |
| Primary minor cast members | ||
| Chuck Shamata | as | General Pierce |
| Joey Elias | as | Library Security Guard |
| Tony Calabretta | as | Cabbie |
| Tetchena Bellange | as | Jama |
| Marylou Belugou | as | Binata |
| Chris Britton | as | Vorsteen |
| Vlasta Vrana | as | Booker (MPC) |
| Pauline Little | as | Lanson (SSL) |
| Tim Bagley | as | Tommy |
| Jack Laufer | as | Jeff Baffin |
| Kenneth Moskow | as | Bob |
| Caroline Keenan-Wiseman | as | Tina |
| Tim Hamaguchi | as | Taka |
| Secondary minor cast members | ||
| Anne Day-Jones | as | Jeanette |
| Aaron Lustig | as | Bernie |
| William Francis | as | Bart Chopper Reporter |
| Lisa Canning | as | L.A. Anchorwoman |
| Terry Rhoads | as | L.A. Anchorman |
| John C. Colton | as | Fox Newscaster #1 |
| Dilva Henry | as | Fox Newscaster #2 |
| Wendy L. Walsh | as | Weather Channel Newscaster #1 |
| Mark Pfister | as | Weather Channel Newscaster #2 |
| J.P. Manoux | as | L.A. Cameraman |
| Jesús 'Chuy' Pérezn | as | Mexican (NWS) Janitor |
| Robin Wilcock | as | Tony |
| Jason Blicker | as | Paul |
| Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais | as | Cecil |
| Terry Simpson | as | Cesar |
| Pierre Lenoir | as | J.D.'s Doorman |
| Don Kirk | as | Victor, J.D.'s Driver |
| Gordon Masten | as | New York Bus Driver |
| John Moore | as | New York Reporter |
| Rosey Edeh | as | New York Reporter |
| Mark Thompson | as | News Reporter |
| Ana Garcia | as | Headline Reporter |
| José Ramón Rosario | as | Cabbie 'Crazy Weather' |
| Al Vandecruys | as | Scholastic Decathlon Referee |
| Richard Zeman | as | Flight Director |
| Carl Alacchi | as | Venezuelan Delegate |
| Nassim Sharara | as | Saudi Delegate |
| Michael A. Samah | as | Saudi Translator |
| Alan Fawcett | as | Commander Daniels (Hurricane Hunter) |
| Howard Bilerman | as | Rookie Scientist (Hurricane Hunter) |
| John Maclaren | as | Veteran Scientist (Hurricane Hunter) |
| Sylvain Landry | as | Scott |
| Christian Tessier | as | Aaron |
| Joe Cobden | as | Zack |
| Nobuya Shimamoto | as | Japanese Policeman |
| Bunrey Miyake | as | Japanese Shop Owner |
| Nicolas Feller | as | Shop Owner Grandson |
| Mikio Owaki | as | Noodle Chef |
| Matt Holland | as | RAF #1 |
| Greg Kramer | as | RAF #2 |
| Joel McNichol | as | RAF #3 |
| Vivian Winther | as | Noel, Frozen Woman |
| Pierre Leblanc | as | International Reporter, New Delhi |
| Lauren Sanchez | as | International Newscaster |
| Ross King | as | British Reporter |
| Lori Graham | as | Grocery Store Reporter |
| Michael McNally | as | Buckingham Palace Reporter |
| Robert Holguin | as | Reporter #1 |
| Suzanne Michaels | as | Reporter #2 |
| Matt Adler | as | Truck Radio Announcer |
| Frank Schorpion | as | DC Fireman |
| Kwasi Songui | as | Statue of Liberty Guard |
| Frank Fontaine | as | Caddy 'Cooper' |
| Sam Woods | as | Mr. Walden |
| Ron Darling | as | Hawaiian News Anchor |
| Alvin Tam | as | Japanese Reporter |
| Jennifer Morehouse | as | French Reporter |
| David Schaap | as | Financial Reporter |
| Rob Fukuzaki | as | National Newscaster |
| Leyna Nguyen | as | Misc. Newscaster #1 |
| Lina Patel | as | Misc. Newscaster #2 |
| Jesse Todd | as | Scientist in Hallway |
| Rachelle Glait | as | Pinehurst Academy Teacher |
| Ray Légaré | as | Construction Man |
| Lynne Debel | as | Old Frozen Woman |
| Uncredited cast members | ||
| Rick Hoffman | as | Gary |
| Alan Ruck | as | Foster |
| Kirsten Dunst | as | Girl |
Trivia[]
- 20th Century Fox invited an group of real scientists to review the film, to see they're reaction of the science used in the film. They weren't impressed at all, but some of them said that the movie was enjoyable nonsense.
- There were some doubts about having a tsunami, or an disaster hit New York in general after the 9/11 terrorist attack.
- The Day After Tomorrow is (apparently) the first film to have Los Angeles, and New York City still intact despite the disasters that hit them.