The Day After was unfortunately a TV film. Had they had the budget and special effects and another half hour or so onto it they would have made an incredible, powerful, film presence that would have gotten across their message so strongly. For what they had to work with on Television and the time it was made the film is powerful in it's own right and leaves an extreme lasting impression.
As with most disaster films the layout is much the same. We are introduced to several of the main characters and their "normal" lives, their future plans, where they are going and what their doing. During all this the world is in a state of possible panic as The Soviet Union threatens to invade Germany and attack the United States. The US has created a blockade to Germany but the Soviets are threatening to cross it. Basically they are recreating another Cuban Missle Crisis. The soviets do cross it and at some point both countries ready their nuclear missiles. Without ever known who fires first both nations fire on each other. The film focus's mostly on one small area in Kansas where there are missile silo's which are targeted by the Soviet missiles. Three nuclear bombs release in enormous mushroom clouds causing devastation and complete and utter destruction. Our main characters are separated from anyone they knew or loved and the world they knew is gone forever. Now they must survive the best way they know how until survival is not an option.
The cast of the film is quite weak. It's quite typical of a TV movie to take the TV actors who might not necessarily fit the roles right. Jason Robards has done so much Television it's overwhelming but his performance in this film was sub standard until the end. I must admit that towards the end of the film he really showed some skill. John Lithgow who is an incredible actor especially during this time as he had his amazing performance in the world according to Garp under his built, he is completely underused in this movie. He is barely a presence and I think he would have done better to play the lead character over Robards. Two of the stand out performances in the film is from John Cullum and Steve Guttenberg. Although due to the amount of characters in the film they don't get a lot of storyline time but both these guys give a powerful sad performance and really make us feel it.
The devastating, horrifying part of the movie is the actual explosion of the nukes. Done on short budget I am sure they manage to make a disturbing imagery of total utter destruction and everything it would take in it's path. It almost brought me to tears watching it. The real key to this film, the powerful part of it is the fact that it makes it feel so damn real. It's like you're there with each of these people and in a short amount of time you feel the horror for them and the scenery is breathtaking in a completely other kind of way. The movie right from square one is perfectly believable and that's really where it's power comes from...this COULD happen!! I think a remake of this film would do very well and until then I think anyone should check this film out just to support the anti war movement when it comes to Nuclear weapons. One of the great lines in the movie is quoting Albert Einstein, "I don't know how WW III will be fought but I know how WW IV will be...with sticks and stones..." Watch this film! 7.5/10
As with most disaster films the layout is much the same. We are introduced to several of the main characters and their "normal" lives, their future plans, where they are going and what their doing. During all this the world is in a state of possible panic as The Soviet Union threatens to invade Germany and attack the United States. The US has created a blockade to Germany but the Soviets are threatening to cross it. Basically they are recreating another Cuban Missle Crisis. The soviets do cross it and at some point both countries ready their nuclear missiles. Without ever known who fires first both nations fire on each other. The film focus's mostly on one small area in Kansas where there are missile silo's which are targeted by the Soviet missiles. Three nuclear bombs release in enormous mushroom clouds causing devastation and complete and utter destruction. Our main characters are separated from anyone they knew or loved and the world they knew is gone forever. Now they must survive the best way they know how until survival is not an option.
The cast of the film is quite weak. It's quite typical of a TV movie to take the TV actors who might not necessarily fit the roles right. Jason Robards has done so much Television it's overwhelming but his performance in this film was sub standard until the end. I must admit that towards the end of the film he really showed some skill. John Lithgow who is an incredible actor especially during this time as he had his amazing performance in the world according to Garp under his built, he is completely underused in this movie. He is barely a presence and I think he would have done better to play the lead character over Robards. Two of the stand out performances in the film is from John Cullum and Steve Guttenberg. Although due to the amount of characters in the film they don't get a lot of storyline time but both these guys give a powerful sad performance and really make us feel it.
The devastating, horrifying part of the movie is the actual explosion of the nukes. Done on short budget I am sure they manage to make a disturbing imagery of total utter destruction and everything it would take in it's path. It almost brought me to tears watching it. The real key to this film, the powerful part of it is the fact that it makes it feel so damn real. It's like you're there with each of these people and in a short amount of time you feel the horror for them and the scenery is breathtaking in a completely other kind of way. The movie right from square one is perfectly believable and that's really where it's power comes from...this COULD happen!! I think a remake of this film would do very well and until then I think anyone should check this film out just to support the anti war movement when it comes to Nuclear weapons. One of the great lines in the movie is quoting Albert Einstein, "I don't know how WW III will be fought but I know how WW IV will be...with sticks and stones..." Watch this film! 7.5/10