The Day After Tomorrow: Climate Apocalypse in New York!
Forget global warming! The Day After Tomorrow depicts the cataclysmic return of the ice age. And it's in New York that the worst is about to happen.
The Story of The Day After Tomorrow
- Released in 2004, The Day After Tomorrow was directed by Roland Emmerich, the master of disaster films set in New York. In 1996, Emmerich let aliens destroy the city in Independence Day, and he unleashed a terrifying monster on New York in Godzilla in 1998.
- This time, no aliens or monsters—nature itself attacks New York. Around the world, weather stations record a sudden temperature drop. Climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) sounds the alarm immediately: Earth is entering a new ice age. He urges the President of the United States to act.
- The entire Northern Hemisphere experiences an unprecedented temperature plunge, but the film’s action centers on Jack Hall’s son, a student in New York. Will his father manage to save him?
New York in The Day After Tomorrow
- The sudden arrival of the ice age is brought to life with stunning special effects. Ice engulfs the skyscrapers, starting with the Empire State Building, and Manhattan’s skyline transforms into a frozen wasteland.
- Midtown is equally unrecognizable. In an unforgettable scene, a massive tidal wave engulfs Fifth Avenue, causing a Russian ship to sink between the buildings.
- Another star of the film: the New York Public Library, the city’s main library. Jack Hall’s son, his friends, and a handful of New York survivors take shelter here. I have to admit, since watching the film, I can’t walk through the library without thinking of it!
- Finally, like in Planet of the Apes, the film’s ending offers an apocalyptic vision of the Statue of Liberty. Miss Liberty is freezing too! By the way, you’ll notice a continuity error in the film. As Jack Hall passes the Statue of Liberty and heads toward Manhattan across the frozen New York Bay, moments later he enters Manhattan at the level of the Empire State Building, much farther north. The two locations were brought closer together for dramatic effect. But that’s hardly a deal-breaker for ice age fans!
The Day After Tomorrow Trailer
The Movie Poster
