THIS THREAD CONTAINS SPOILERS
I saw this movie yesterday and pretty much got out of it what i expected. A halfway cheesy, overblown, weekend popcorn flick. Leave your brain in the lobby. Basically a climatologist is trying to warn the white house that the ice age is coming...like...now. From the make of independence day and godzilla and you can tell. We all know about global warming, and anyone with a lick of sense knows something this cataclismic could never occur in just days from global warming.
That being said, some of it was a bit long and drawn out. On the flip side - i'm really sick of the every-so-popular movie cliche where the heros are outrunning weather phenomenon. In other words - you actually CAN outrun a tidal wave. You CAN outrun the eye of a hurricane which is freezing everything rock solid in a wave that plummets down buildings faster than light but our hero can outrun it. All for the sake of high suspense when we very well know they'll make it! Well anyways, it's just a peeve. ;-)
The idea of tornadoes ripping through LA was fun, being a Texan, everyone in the theater was laughing at the idea people would be standing on the streets photographing multiple F-5 tornadoes. Sure you have your rare redneck here with the cam, but we know the protection of plumbing exceeds our curiosity to stand in the middle of the street as cars are flipping by. There are alot of cliches, down to the father just trying to get to his son..dammit! And there always seems to be a homeless guy and his dog in this disaster films.
There was some humor in the movie too, the massive amounts of "illegal aliens" crossing the border IN to mexico. But why for the love of god must we have a politically happy ending? Ok everyone is ranting about this movie being a political platform with the upcoming elections. But besides that point i hate endings that make you feel like the worst is all over and now we're all going to be better now. Yeah, millions and millions of americans taking over Mexico, sounds like they need a sequel to THAT movie.
Dennis quaid also let off one of his very goofy smiles at the end, something about it was so ridiculous it had the crowd laughing. But overall it was fun, it won't exceed expectations. It's just a brainless romp into the summer movies
Post Edited (05-29-04 12:06)
Saw this one yesterday, and noticed a few cliches myself.
The kids happen to visit the museum of natural history and see a mammoth that was frozen stiff as it was eating. Sure enough, we soon learn why. The question is, do you call it foreshadowing when the foreshadowed event happens in the next scene.
Naturally, there had to be escaped zoo wolves prowling the frozen wasteland. I was disappointed that the heroes merely escaped the wolves. With the super-cold air, I was hoping for something really cheesy, like the wolves freezing in mid-pounce as everyone narrowly got away. Pity. As they reached the library, I had to point out a variation of the Hero's Death Battle Exemption. In this case, they were able to run through halls that were flash freezing all around them, when nobody else managed to do more than get a car door open before turning into popsicles.
Also once again observed that natural disasters always seem to find major urban centres and famous landmarks. Half a dozen tornadoes rip through downtown LA, hitting the Hollywood sign, Capitol Records, several skyscrapers. Does anything spectacular happen in rural areas? Even more amazing was that a helicopter could fly in all that.
Of course, no disaster movie would be complete without somebody sacrificing himself for the group. Saw that coming.
When they passed under the half-buried Statue of Liberty, I had a strong urge to shout "Damn you all to Hell!"
And I think my wife asked a very fine question as our scientist-hero risked life and limb to reach his son. "What's he going to do when he gets there?" My guess was he'd hug his son and they'd be rescued. I was pretty close.
A fine cheesy disaster movie all around. Big on budget, and small on brains. Just right.
Also one thing i couldn't help but wonder - why burn the books when there's all that good wood furniture? C;'mon, paper doesn't burn that long and doesn't generate much heat.Those kid wonders weren't all that bright. And the doors stopped the freeze from penetrating? So basically they could just be in any room..just shut the door! Also if you are living off of potato chips and canned food you may as well drag back one of the dead wolves for supper and it's hide. It's the ice age - you must begin thinking sensibly and stop relying on chef boyardee.
1. Those were some rabid-ass wolves (who are shy by nature and generally don't attack man)
2. If you drive to NY in the ice, you may want to pack some snowmobiles just in case your truck crashes into a ship.
3. When natural disasters hit - always listen to kids! Otherwise, you'll walk hundreds of miles to texas and die in the blizzard - clearly it would never cross your mind to stay indoors.
It was cheese, it was entertainment, it's also the type of film you can easily pick on.
i could see a "things i learned from this movie" list.
>>Even more amazing was that a helicopter could fly in all that.<,
Right, i was thinking the same thing. on the flip side i thought that it was VERY believable you would see reporters standing in the middle of that. so often you see evacuations because of hurricans..well everyone except the one stupid reporter standing OUTSIDE on the beach as the tidal waves and winds are knocking them over.
Also that hail in tokyo was laughable..they were chunks. Hail does not fall out of the sky in crystal form shaped like square blocks no matter how big it is. At that point i could almost picture the stay puff marshmallow man stomping down the street
(http://www.emerchandise.com/images/p/GHB/pdSTGHB0002.jpg)
Post Edited (06-03-04 18:13)
Hey this movie was made by the same guy who made ID4 and Godzilla.All those movies had no orginal thought and the entire plot of the movie were based on things getting destroyed and movie cliches.
No surprise to me that this movie turned out the way it did.
Even funnier is that there seemed to be bits lifted from other Centropolis movies. The guy and his dog reminded me immediately of Godzilla, and there were parts of both the tornado and tidal wave disasters that just screamed Independence Day. Guy in his car getting mashed by the flying bus conjured immediate images of Harvey Fierstein. I also had to take not of the various guys screwing around in labs when the equipment they're supposed to be monitoring starts to show something strange.
I wouldn't have been surprised if the government had started evacuating people through the Stargate.
The whole book burning thing was also pretty easy to predict. Stuck in a library, have to keep warm. You know they're going to start burning books, and somebody is going to be appalled. Is this what we've been reduced to?
It reminded me of the episode of Red Dwarf where they have to start burning everything to keep warm. Rimmer lectures Lister on the importance of books, until Lister points out that he's burning a copy of "Biggles Learns to Fly."
With that in mind, you can't help but notice that they're starting in the philosphy section, when any public library of that size must contain a mountain of outdated textbooks, crappy potboilers and periodicals of no particular value. Why fight over a copy of Nietsche when there are probably whole racks of John Grisham?
Seemed even siller when they start breaking up wooden chairs to make snowshoes. Um, why weren't they hauling those up for fuel in the first place? How about all the wooden shelves? All this stupidity so that we could have a speech about preserving knowledge and reason through these dark times.
Of course, the whole thing is played like the end of civilization. But the southern hemisphere, and a fair bit north of the equator, seem to be fine. Actually, the most populous parts of the world were, more or less, spared.
My analysis of this movie is that it is an entertaining orgy of special effects. If you aren't looking for anything that requires brain power, it's worth the price of admission. Pure escapist entertainment. Somewhat better than I expected, despite all the disaster movie cliches.
One thing that DID surprise me is that the hero (Dennis Quaid) actually has a good relationship with his wife. In these types of movies, the hero is normally divorced (or at least seoarated) and the disaster brings the hero and his wife back together at the end.
Is there any compelling reason to see this one on The Big Screen? I've gotten kinda selective about what I go to the theatre to see (for a lot reasons...I won't bore you).
So, will I lose a lot waiting for DVD rental of this one? The effects to me look like stuff we've basically seen before.
I found the effects to be well worth seeing on the big screen. The tornadoes, the tidal wave and the three identical, equidistant, upside-down hurricanes (long story) were all very well done.
The hokey premise and the cheesy disaster-movie cliches (and I'm surprised people on this board are talking about them like they're a bad thing) were the icing on the cake for me.
Altogether, I'd say this is the first summer blockbuster in a while that didn't disappoint.
The hokey premise and the cheesy disaster-movie cliches (and I'm surprised people on this board are talking about them like they're a bad thing)
In a low budget "B" movie, they are acceptable; in a high budget, highly marketed "A" movie, they are derided
Wasn't there a Twilight Zone episode where there was a nuclear bomb or the apocolypse or something and one guy survived because he was in the basement of a library?
Kory:
Yes! That is one of my favorite episodes. Burgess Meredith plays a bank teller who enjoys reading. He goes into the vault to read a book and when he comes out he discovers that the city has been flattened by a nuclear attack.
Andy C wrote::
>>The whole book burning thing was also pretty easy to predict. Stuck in a library, have to keep warm. You know they're going to start burning books, and somebody is going to be appalled. Is this what we've been reduced to?<<
Yeah but with solid wood furniture all over the place? I mean i've burned paper in a fireplace and it ignites and burns out inseconds. I bet those shelves were wood and some of the rooms were wood paneled. Btw has anyone ever been to the NY public library..do they really have a large fireplace on the top floor?
tho i have to admit i got a chuckle when the kid suggested they had a whole section on tax law to burn
Ulthar- you can wait for dvd. The effects were typical computer generated, nothing that will blow you away on the big screen. I am SO glad i just moved near a big dollar theater (50 cent tuesdays!), i've cut out going to alot of movies just because of the money and the fact that most movies i see never turn out that good...not worth the ticket price i pay anyhow.
BURGOMASTER
>>Yes! That is one of my favorite episodes. Burgess Meredith plays a bank teller who enjoys reading. He goes into the vault to read a book and when he comes out he discovers that the city has been flattened by a nuclear attack.
<<<
Yeah, but isn't there some twist at the end like he breaks his glasses?
Susan wrote:
>
> Yeah, but isn't there some twist at the end like he breaks his
> glasses?
>
Yep. That was great episode.
I remember that one. Burgess Meredith could never find the time to sit and read. I believe he was in a bank vault when the bomb dropped. As the sole survivor, he was delighted to have all the time he needed, and no one to distract him. Then he broke his glasses.
Whoops! I knew i should have read further down before replying to Kory.
Radio Talk Show Host Glenn Beck is haralding DAT as the next "Rocky Horror Picture Show." He says, in his opinion, it is a movie that will be a lot of fun for friends to go see together and talk back, or along with, the flick.
His staff is working on a script for RHPS - esque audience participation, and they hope to have it ready, at least a draft, within a week or so.
Like him or not (because of his politics), Beck is pretty cool in a lot of ways....his live radio re-make on Halloween of "War of the Worlds" a couple of years ago (I only heard parts of it later) was pretty cool, and this script for DAT will probably be a lot of fun.
I really need to get the Twilight Zone on DVD- it'll provide all kinds of interesting factoids for this message board.
AndyC and The Burgomaster: Thanks for reminding me that it was Burgess Meredith- I couldn't think of his name!
I really liked this movie, especially since my daughter took me for free because she works at the theatre.
I was surprised that the cancer kid did not have a big reunion with his parents at the end.
I liked it....my only real complaint is that most of the cool stuff happens pretty early in the movie, though that's better than waiting until the end I guess. Just a fun summer popcorn flick, but I've always been a sucker for disaster flicks.
i can not belive what i have seen. really?? is it possible to see the taj mahal from new delhi??? ok, can u take a" very very "cold metal with your hands , no gloves ,and dont get burnt?? yes, if u touch a metal under a very low temperature u can get burned.
definitely, holiwood film directors need some "real film advicer" for all cathegories
- climatic disasters
- geography
- physics
- medicine
- some acting teacher wouldnt be a bad idea
and yes, i know it, i need a english teacher too :).
Post Edited (06-07-04 14:27)