LLANRWST, Wales — Wonder what will happen to our world if we continue to let harmful emissions enter the atmosphere?
This is exactly what blockbuster director Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow” explores at the theater: the devastating effects of climate change.
The movie begins with a United Nations conference in New Delhi where a climatologist, Adrian Hall (Dennis Quaid), briefs the delegates about serious conditions which will shape the world in 50 to 100 years.
However, most people there think global warming is ludicrous and insist there’s no real evidence for the scientist’s conclusions.
But it’s Hall who has to eat his words because it turns out that global warming is happening at a much quicker rate, faster than anyone else could have ever imagined. In fact, in the film, it’s happening now.
The world is transformed with severe storms battering people, but do you think this is the end of their problems?
No way.
Most of the Northern Hemisphere is frozen to a crisp, with howling winds and howling wolves that will almost inevitably kill a person if he should step outside.
Is the Northern Hemisphere doomed? Will civilization ever be the same? Even if anybody makes it through a week of the worst storms ever, his country will be mired in a new ice age.
The only certain fact is that civilization will never be the same again.
There are several subplots in the film, the most important of which is the climatologist’s mission to battle in the deadly conditions to meet up with his son in New York City , which has suffered the worst of the storm.
It is impossible to watch this film without feeling your spine chill.
There is always a feeling that this could become reality, perhaps not to the same extent, but you can’t help thinking we can’t go on burning the world’s natural resources in the same way we are doing today.
The film is also moving in parts, so some people may find that they need to bring tissues with them.
The special effects are particularly amazing. They make the film come to life.
The effects of the storm, from the tornadoes to the giant hailstones to massive tidal waves all look like they’re actually happening.
While some parts of the film are exciting, there are intervals of boredom and some sections are slightly ludicrous, especially when everywhere gets frozen and the people are running away from this mass global chill, when in reality they probably would have died.
Even so, once you start watching the film, it is hard to take your eyes off it.
The movie is excellent at teaching the whole world, and hopefully world leaders, that we cannot continue burning harmful emissions without having an effect on the climate.
It may not be “The Day After Tomorrow” yet, but we face catastrophe in the future if nothing is done to change our ways.
John Elfed Hughes is a Reporter from Wales for Youth Journalism International.