THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (PG-13) **1/2

Directed by Roland Emmerich. 124 minutes.

Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gylenhaal, Sela Ward, Glenn Plummer, and Ian Holm. Released by 20^th Century Fox.

Director Roland Emmerich likes to destroy things, so it would seem. In Independence Day, it was the White House and various other national monuments via aliens. In Godzilla, it was much of New York via a giant green lizard. Now, in The Day After Tomorrow, his latest film, it is much of the world. I wonder what he will do for an encore. The film, which is part disaster story (its better half) and part human interest story (its lesser half) boasts terrific special effects, perhaps some of the best that audiences will see this summer or this year. Unfortunately, its story line, dialogue, and characterizations will not be some of the best that they will see this year. Or week.

The film begins with one of those impending doom moments when some scientists in Antarctica, one of them being lead Dennis Quaid, discover some of the negative effects of global warming when a piece of ice the size of Rhode Island crashes downward. Thank God the film spares us that opening moment in which we hear eerie music and see some satellites spinning around the planet, then some weird cracking of a national monument, which many directors use to explain the scientific aspect of the disastrous event occurring. In other words, they know about as much as we do. No, The Day After Tomorrow uses the spinning satellite moment much later in the film and less offensively to our intelligence.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to a handful of characters, including a homeless man (Glenn Plummer) with a dog, Quaid’s son (Jake Gylenhaal) and wife (Sela Ward), a fellow scientist in Scotland (Ian Holm), and a garden variety of others. They are all strategically placed in different places where the global warming-caused storms take place so that we can get a view of each. Now, on to the storms. They are amazing. Aside from the fact that watching entire cities being decimated is a bit creepy in itself, considering the modern state of things in the world, the effects are awe-inspiring. The immense tornadoes that rip through Los Angeles, the floods in New York, and the snow storm that follows are frightening and memorable effects, used well, unlike recent overkills of digital effects, such as Van Helsing, or even, Hellboy.

Less convincing, unfortunately, are the characters. The actors, all talented performers I might add, are given little to do, except exactly what we expect them to do. Of course, no one listens to the scientists and those in the know, such as a group that decides to brave the snowstorm and freeze to death. Of course, the vice president, who seems to be running the show in the White House, will not listen to logic, even after the destruction of the U.S.’s two largest cities. That leaves it up to the two or three main characters to save everyone around them. The dialogue is not particularly inspired, but there are moments. A scene where Gylenhaal talks about a vacation he once took with his father resonates.

Then, there are some strange minor issues in the film. For starters, one of the fates of one of the main characters is never disclosed. He seems to be in the film simply to help provide evidence for Quaid’s character, but we never learn what happens to him and those he works with. You’ll know who I am speaking of when you see the film, should you choose to do so. Also, there is a scene in which Gylenhaal and several of his friends, trapped in the snowbound New York Public Library are attacked by…wolves! For me to possibly explain how this comes to pass would take up at least another paragraph, which I am not willing to dedicate. All I can say is, it’s slightly ridiculous. Also, there is one of those scenes in which several characters literally race Mother Nature and win, much like that impossibly silly scene in The Mummy Returns where Brandon Frasier races the sun.

All in all, The Day After Tomorrow is not half bad. It’s ending you can see from a mile away. It’s one of those typical Roland Emmerich “why can’t we all just work together” numbers that we have seen in most of his other films. Anyway, aside from its faults, the film certainly has its merits, namely in the special effects department. There will most likely be better films this summer. There will certainly be worse. It is doubtful that the level of mastery visually will surpass Emmerich’s film. Maybe, maybe not. If you want to see a real disaster film, Godsend, Envy, New York Minute, and Laws of Attraction are probably all still playing at a theater near you.