Genre
Action / Adventure
Written By
Roland Emmerich, Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Logline
A climatologist races across the country to save his teenage son as a global superstorm wreaks havoc on the planet.
Why break it down?
I've been meaning to see this little movie called
'The Artist' for quite some time. The reviews have been stellar, my friends enjoyed it, the Academy showered it with awards...yet week after week, I find myself outside the theater having the same conversation:
Of course, I'll see
'The Artist' eventually, but there's something about watching shit explode that I simply can't resist. Say what you want, but action was my first love in cinema and I'll always have a place for it in my heart. Which recently got me thinking...what are some films I loved as a kid that could be useful to break down on ClassAct? After much debate, I settled on a movie I loved in theaters and never saw again until now: 2004's end-of-the-world apocalyptic romp,
'The Day After Tomorrow.'
Roland Emmerich knows how to make a disaster flick, and if that's what you're into, he's a perfect writer to study.
'THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW' IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN UNUSUALLY LONG FIRST ACT, which will allow us to put that section under a microscope and gain a more detailed understanding of its important beats. It's also an example of
SUSPENSEFUL EXPOSITION, which we can use to build upon the spectacle-like impact of Plot Point #1. And like
'Love Actually' a few weeks ago, it can teach us about
WRITING FOR AN ENSEMBLE CAST, which can be useful for creating detailed B-stories and ancillary plot threads.
So read up, keep an eye out for the beats, and we'll look at the film's structure after the jump. (Click the
[+] button for a summary of each scene.)
ACT I
00:00 - 03:00 (3.00 pages) [+]EXT. ANTARCTICA - DAY
Opening titles scroll as we fly over the Antarctic landscape. Eventually, we arrive at an expedition camp in the middle of the Larsen Ice Shelf, surrounded by nothing but barren landscape.
03:00 - 06:15 (3.25 pages) [+]EXT. / INT. ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION CAMP - DAY
FRANK
HARRIS (Jay O. Sanders) teaches his colleague
JASON
(Dash Mihok) how to operate an ice drill. He picks up a few
core samples and makes his way…
…
INSIDE THE LAB, where
JACK
HALL (Dennis Quaid) is looking into a microscope and scowling like a scientist. Outside,
Jason operates the drill, which is going fine, until suddenly…
…
CRACK! The ground beneath him crumbles, and the entire ice shelf starts splitting apart. Desperate to save his core samples,
Jack jumps across the crumbling ice and grabs them. At the last second, he jumps back, barely making it out alive. Catching his breath, he watches as the shelf splits down the middle for miles and miles.
Ohhhhh, boy...
FLASH-BANG OPEN
06:15 - 08:15 (2.00 pages) [+]U.N. CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING (NEW DELHI) - DAY
Jack stands before the United Nations council and explains how global warming works.
The U.S. VICE PRESIDENT (Kenneth Welsh) protests, demanding that it would cost too much money to stop polluting the atmosphere.
Jack quips back, arguing that the cost over time would be far worse. Everyone chuckles at how stupid the Vice President looks.
08:15 - 09:00 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. NEW DELHI STREET - DAY
Outside the conference,
Jack hails a cab. He's approached by DR. TERRY
RAPSON
(Ian Holm), who liked
Jack's speech and wants to discuss some global warming stuff with him.
Jack agrees, and they hop in a cab together.
09:00 - 10:45 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. DR. RAPSON'S LAB (SCOTLAND) - DAY
SIMON (Adrian Lester) and
DENNIS
(Richard McMillan), two scientists in Scotland, notice something is wrong in the Atlantic Ocean:
Dr.
Rapson arrives and greets the guys. Not thinking the Atlantic Ocean thing is a problem, they don't bother telling him about it.
10:45 - 12:00 (1.25 pages) [+]EXT. TOKYO, JAPAN - DAY
People go about their daily lives in Japan, when suddenly a massive hail storm hits the city.
(Note: Everyone panics and dies.)
12:00 - 13:45 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S HOUSE (MARYLAND) / LUCY
'S HOUSE (WASHINGTON, D.C.) - DAY
Jack arrives home to find a copy of his son's report card. Concerned by what he sees, he calls his wife,
LUCY (Sela Ward).
Meanwhile, their son
SAM
(Jake Gyllenhall) watches the Tokyo hail storm on the news. Apparently, lots of people were killed.
13:45 - 15:45 (2.00 pages) [+]The following short scenes in MARYLAND are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
INT. JACK'S WORK
Jack works on science stuff in his lab. His boss,
GOMEZ
(Nestor Serrano) enters, freaking out:
Suddenly,
Jack remembers…
"I was supposed to drive Sam to the airport!" He darts out of the room and rushes to…
EXT. LUCY'S HOUSE - DAY
…
Lucy's house, where he picks up
Sam.
INT. CAR - DAY
In the car,
Jack lectures
Sam while they drive to the airport:
Oddly enough,
Jack understands. They arrive at the airport and
Sam hops out, neglecting to even say goodbye.
Jack frowns, concerned that his son hates him.
15:45 - 16:30 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. SPACE STATION - NIGHT
A group of astronauts stare out the window of their space station, concerned at the size of the storm clouds on Earth.
"Look at this storm system. It's enormous…"
⇡⇣ OPENING EXPOSITION
16:30 - 18:30 (2.00 pages) [+]INT. AIRPLANE - DAY
Sitting on an airplane with his friends
LAURA
(Emmy Rossum) and
BRIAN
(Arjay Smith),
Sam nervously shovels peanuts into his mouth.
Laura and
Brian try to comfort him...
...when suddenly, the plane starts to rock wildly back and forth. Luggage spills from the compartments. Oxygen masks deploy.
Sam shuts his eyes, hoping the turbulence will pass...
...and it does. He and
Laura relax, realizing they had accidentally grabbed each other's hands during the chaos.
18:30 - 19:45 (1.25 pages) [+]EXT. / INT. DR. RAPSON'S LAB (SCOTLAND) - DAY
Back in Scotland, a snow storm is brewing. Simon kisses his wife and kid goodbye for the week, and hurries back inside the lab.
There, he finds Dr.
Rapson staring at a computer screen. Turns out, several buoys in the Atlantic Ocean are reporting a severe temperature drop (meaning that thing they saw in 09:00 - 10:45 wasn't a dolphin after all).
I'm no scientist, but I think we're all dead...
19:45 - 20:45 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK CITY / INT. CENTRAL PARK ZOO - DAY
Sam,
Laura, and
Brian walk through the crowded New York streets. Glancing up at the sky, they notice thousands of birds flying away from the city...
Meanwhile, the
wolves at the Central Park Zoo chew through their cages...
20:45 - 21:30 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. GYMNASIUM - DAY
Sam,
Laura, and
Brian compete in the scholastic decathlon.
Sam gets an answer right, and
Laura smiles at him (yay!). But then,
Sam notices another kid -
JD
, who we'll meet in the next scene - staring at
Laura:
"Hello, Clarice…"
21:30 - 22:45 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. BANQUET HALL - LATER
Sam,
Laura, and
Brian mingle with all the other decathlon nerds. Sure enough,
JD (Austin Nichols) - the creepy douchebag from the previous scene - approaches
Laura and starts hitting on her right in front of
Sam. He invites her to take a tour of his school, and they walk off.
"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker."
22:45 - 24:15 (1.50 pages) [+]
24:15 - 30:30 (6.25 pages) [+]The following short scenes in LOS ANGELES are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - MORNING
An old man walks outside to get the paper. Around him, a storm is brewing…
INT. WEATHER STATION
A weather analyst guy (whatever, he'll be dead in a second anyway) makes out with his girlfriend, not paying attention to the computers going INSANE in the other room. He gets a phone call, and takes a look at the weather outside. Realizing what's happening, his eyes go wide…
INT. / EXT. BOSS'S HOUSE
Weather Analyst Guy calls his boss, telling him the bad news:
Boss runs outside, where he sees…
…a goddamn fucking tornado.
INT. JACK'S WORK (MARYLAND)
Jack tries to convince
Gomez (his boss) that the world is going to end, but nobody wants to listen to him. He and
Gomez walk into the main computer lab, where everybody is gathered around a television:
EXT. LOS ANGELES
Back in LA, the entire city is under attack. Somewhere between ten and fifty thousand tornadoes spill down from the sky, obliterating everything that stands. The Hollywood sign? Gone. Capitol Records building? Done. LAX? Pile of bricks. People run for cover as their city is flattened into a parking lot.
| INCITING INCIDENT
30:30 - 31:30 (1.00 pages) [+]The following short scenes in THE AFTERMATH OF LOS ANGELES are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
INT. WHITEHOUSE (WASHINGTON, D.C.)
The Vice President informs the President that Los Angeles has been hit by tornadoes.
INT. BANQUET HALL (NEW YORK)
Sam,
Laura,
Brian, and the hundred or so other decathlon nerds are glued to the television, watching for breaking news about Los Angeles. On the screen, a reporter reveals that two airplanes crashed due to extreme turbulence.
31:30 - 33:45 (2.25 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S WORK - DAY
Back in Maryland,
Gomez (
Jack's boss) conducts an emergency meeting with the staff of the research center:
Jack hurries into the hallway, where
Frank and
Jason (his co-workers, from 03:00 - 06:15) catch up with him. They offer to help him prove his theory that the world is about to explode.
33:45 - 34:45 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Lucy (
Jack's wife) checks on one of her patients, a
young boy with cancer. They talk for a minute and it's basically established that this boy is a sweet kid.
34:45 - 36:00 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S WORK - NIGHT
Jack and his team slave over their computers, trying to figure out how science works.
Jack heads downstairs to take a nap, but he's quickly woken up by
Jason with some urgent news:
36:00 - 36:45 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. SCHOOL (NEW YORK) / JACK'S WORK (MARYLAND) - DAY
Sam talks to
Jack on the phone.
Sam approaches
Brian,
Laura, and
JD. And wouldn't you know it,
JD offers to let them stay at his place for the night.
Sam is not thrilled.
36:45 - 38:00 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
Jack catches up to the Vice President in the White House lobby, begging him to look at the data he's collected.
"If we don't act now, it's going to be too late…"
Of course, the Vice President doesn't listen to a thing he says. He walks off, handing
Jack's data to a random security guard.
⇡⇣ PREPARE FOR ADVENTURE
38:00 - 38:30 (0.50 pages) [+]INT. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM - DAY
JD the Douchebag leads
Laura,
Sam, and
Brian through the Natural History Museum. They arrive at a stuffed mammoth who died in the last ice age:
"This mammoth froze instantly, while grazing..."
38:30 - 39:30 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. DR. RAPSON'S LAB - DAY
Back in Scotland, Simon,
Dennis, and Dr.
Rapson are trapped inside the lab because of the snowstorm. They joke about their situation, but it's clear that they're all very nervous...
39:30 - 41:30 (2.00 pages) [+]EXT. SCOTLAND - DAY
Helicopters cut through the sky, entering the eye of a massive storm.
Suddenly, the temperature drops, flash-freezing the helicopters and causing them to crash. One of the pilots tries to step outside and freezes to death almost immediately.
|
41:30 - 42:15 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S WORK (MARYLAND) / DR. RAPSON'S LAB (SCOTLAND) - DAY
Dr.
Rapson tells
Jack about the storm in Scotland. He sends over some data about the storm, and
Jack's team takes a look:
"It looks like a hurricane, only hurricanes don't form over land…"
42:15 - 51:15 (9.00 pages) [+]The following short scenes in NEW YORK are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
INT. JD'S APARTMENT
Sam,
Laura,
Brian, and
JD arrive at
JD's apartment. Outside, it's raining cats and dogs;
Brian looks out the window at the storm:
EXT. STREET
The storm is getting worse. A homeless man watches as the street begins to flood…
INT. / EXT. JD'S APARTMENT
Back in the apartment, the gang watches a news report on the impending hurricane heading toward New York. Suddenly, the electricity in the building goes out. They hurry outside to find…
EXT. NEW YORK
The streets are flooding. The subway system is underwater. At the Central Park zoo, the
wolves have mysteriously escaped. Suddenly, it's looking dangerous to be stuck in New York…
INT. HOSPITAL (WASHINGTON, D.C.)
Lucy watches the storm unfold on the news, hoping
Sam is okay…
EXT. NEW YORK
The storm rages on. People start crowding into the library as the streets become a river.
Sam,
Laura,
Brian, and
JD make their way to the library, looking back to see…
…A MASSIVE TIDAL WAVE HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE CITY. It barrels over the shoreline, swallowing everything in its path. People run for their lives (spoiler: they all die). At the last second,
Sam,
Laura,
Brian, and
JD scurry into the library (though
Laura injures her leg) just as a wall of water slams into it.
|
51:15 - 54:15 (3.00 pages) [+]INT. DR. RAPSON'S LAB (SCOTLAND) / INT. JACK'S WORK (MARYLAND) - DAY
In Scotland, Dr.
Rapson gets a call from
Jack, who explains how the "hurricane" works:
The phone disconnects, and Dr.
Rapson knows it's the last time they'll ever talk to each other (remember…he's snowed in, and the chances of survival are slim to none). Back in Maryland,
Jack gets some bad news from
Frank:
54:15 - 60:00 (5.75 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY / INT. JACK'S WORK (MARYLAND) - DAY
Hundreds of people crowd the New York public library. Drying off,
Sam and
Laura have a
romantic moment:
Sam tries to call his dad, but his cell phones has lost service. Getting an idea, he runs to the basement to try an old pay phone…
Back in Maryland,
Jack and
Lucy get
Sam's call. With the basement slowly flooding, they have precious little time, but
Jack gives
Sam one important direction:
PLOT POINT #1
60:00 - 60:45 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
Shivering from the ice cold water,
Sam takes off his wet clothes.
Laura hugs him, pressing their bodies together for warmth.
Sam is very happy about this.
(Boner face)
ACT II
60:45 - 61:15 (0.50 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S WORK - DAY
Jack packs up for his arctic adventure.
Gomez (his boss) enters and tells him some very important news:
61:15 - 63:00 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
Everyone goes about their business in the library, when suddenly a huge noise rings through the air.
Sam joins the crowd at the window, where they see…
…a
giant ship floating past the library. It crashes into a building and slows to a stop.
63:00 - 66:30 (3.50 pages) [+]INT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
Jack briefs the President and his advisors on the storm about to come. Basically, it goes like this:
Jack leaves, and the President gives the order to evacuate the entire southern half of the United States.
66:30 - 68:00 (2.50 pages) [+]INT. DR. RAPSON'S LAB - DAY
Back in Scotland, Dr.
Rapson and his men (Simon and
Dennis) drink scotch and talk about their regrets. But despite the circumstances, they smile, accepting their fate.
⇡⇣ FUN AND GAMES
68:00 - 71:30 (3.50 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
Outside, the water has turned to ice, freezing the
giant ship in its place. Suddenly, everyone looks out the window and sees…
…hundreds of people outside, walking past the ship. They're leaving the city on foot. Thinking it's a good idea, everyone starts packing their things.
Sam tries to keep them from leaving, begging them to stay inside like
Jack told him to, but nobody listens. He watches in sadness as they all leave, walking right into their own demise...
71:30 - 72:15 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. HOSPITAL / INT. JACK'S WORK - DAY
Jack says goodbye to
Lucy over the phone.
72:15 - 73:00 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. JACK'S WORK - DAY
Jack packs his stuff into the truck.
Frank and
Jason join him ("No way we're letting you do this alone!") and they set off on their journey.
MIDPOINT REVERSAL
Midpoint
73:00 - 73:45 (0.75 pages) [+]MONTAGE
The United States begins to evacuate and thousands of desperate citizens start illegally crossing the border into Mexico.
73:45 - 75:00 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
Sam,
Laura,
Brian, and
JD find a fireplace and start burning books for warmth. They raid the vending machines for snacks and scour the library for any resources they can find.
75:00 - 76:45 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Back in Washington,
Lucy tends to the
young boy with cancer (from 33:45 - 34:45). The rest of the workers at the hospital have abandoned ship, and as the final car rolls away, she makes a last-second decision to stay with the boy.
76:45 - 77:45 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
Laura continues to burn books in the fireplace while
Sam and
Brian talk about the crisis:
77:45 - 78:45 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - DAY
Jack,
Frank, and
Jason drive through the snowy wilderness, unable to see what's in front of them. They seem to be making good time, when suddenly…
…the car crashes into an abandoned mobile home.
Jack turns to his partners, knowing what has to be done:
78:45 - 79:30 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK - DAY
The people who left the library (in 68:00 - 71:30) huddle for warmth under a tunnel. It's happening slowly, but they're freezing to death…
79:30 - 80:45 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARAY - DAY
Sam and
Laura sit by the fire, getting to know each other.
Sam talks about how much he used to love his father as a kid.
80:45 - 84:15 (3.50 pages) [+]EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - DAY
Jack,
Frank, and
Jason hike along the snow. They seem to be making good time, when suddenly…
…the ground gives out. Turns out, they're on top of a shopping mall, and the roof is made of glass.
Frank falls through the roof and the guys catch him, meaning he's now dangling fifty feet in the air (certain death if he falls). The guys struggle to pull him up, but the roof starts to crack, and
Frank decides to cut the rope - sacrificing himself - so the other two can survive. He falls to his death.
Later,
Frank and
Jason huddle in their tent, unable to speak. They've lost a good friend. It's sad.
84:15 - 85:00 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - NIGHT
Sam tosses more books into the fire. Two library employees (who we've met before but aren't really important enough to give names) talk about the books that are being burned. One of the employees holds onto the Gutenberg Bible - i.e., the first book ever printed in the west - because he wants to protect it in case humankind doesn't survive.
⇡⇣ ROLL DOWNHILL
85:00 - 85:45 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
At the hospital in Washington,
Lucy sits with the
young boy with cancer, essentially waiting do die. Then suddenly, a light shines through the window.
Lucy opens the door to find…
…an ambulance worker. Turns out, they came back for the young boy.
Lucy's eyes well up with tears.
85:45 - 88:00 (2.25 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - NIGHT
Sitting by the fire,
Sam notices
Laura isn't feeling well. They talk for a minute, and
Sam finally tells
Laura how he feels. She responds by...
...sucking his soul out through his mouth.
88:00 - 88:30 (0.50 pages) [+]INT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
The President and his men evacuate the White House. As they leave, the President turns around to look at his home one last time...
88:30 - 89:30 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. REFUGEE CAMP, MEXICO - DAY
A helicopter arrives at the U.S. Refugee Camp in Mexico. Out hops an army general, who rushes to the Vice President and tells him some shocking news:
89:30 - 90:45 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY
The next morning,
Laura lies on the ground, sick. Everyone huddles over her, trying to figure out what's wrong. They open a few medical books and discover that she has blood poisoning from the
cut on her leg (42:15 - 51:15). She needs a dose of penicillin, or she's going to die…
"But I was JUST about to get laid."
90:45 - 91:30 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. SPACE STATION - DAY
The astronauts (from 15:45 - 16:30) stare in shock at the massive storm forming on Earth:
Curious what's going on, they take an infrared scan of the storm and send it to their bosses...
91:30 - 92:00 (0.50 pages) [+]INT. JACK'S WORK - DAY
Gomez (
Jack's boss) receives the information from the space station. Reading it, he realizes something terrible:
92:00 - 92:15 (0.25 pages) [+]EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - DAY
FIFTEEN-SECOND INSERT:
Jack and
Jason hike across the tundra. Suddenly,
Jason passes out, falling to his knees…
92:15 - 101:30 (9.25 pages) [+]The following short scenes in NEW YORK are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Desperate to save
Laura,
Sam gets an idea: The
giant ship outside might have medicine! As he dresses up for the mission,
Brian and
JD join in. They're not letting him go alone…
CUT TO:
EXT. / INT. GIANT SHIP
The boys enter the giant ship, searching frantically for medicine in the freezing cold. Outside, the
wolves from the Central Park Zoo run toward them…
Back inside the ship, the boys find not only the medicine, but a whole stock of food as well. But the wolves attack, trapping them inside a room. Meanwhile…
INT. JACK'S WORK
In Maryland,
Gomez watches his computer screen as the storm passes over New York. This means the temperature in New York will start dropping astoundingly fast (like it did in 39:30 - 41:30, when the helicopter pilots died)…
INT. / EXT. GIANT SHIP
Sam looks out the window of the ship, realizing he has little time left. Knowing they need to get back to the library, he makes a mad dash out of the ship and lures the wolves away, while
Brian and
JD wait to make their escape. Meanwhile…
EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Out in the middle of nowhere,
Jack carries
Jason through the snow. Looking up, he realizes...
…the eye of the storm is right above him! Panicked, he scrambles for cover as the temperature starts to plummet…
EXT. GIANT SHIP / INT. LIBRARY
Back in New York,
Sam,
Brian, and
JD make a mad dash back to the library as the world starts to flash-freeze around them. Sprinting through the door, they hurl more books into the fire to keep from freezing to death. Meanwhile…
EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE / INT. RESTAURANT
Jack does the exact
Same thing, dashing inside a restaurant and lighting a fire as everything around him freezes over.
PLOT POINT #2
ACT III
101:30 - 104:00 (2.50 pages) [+]INT. RESTAURANT / EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - DAY
Jason wakes up in the restaurant, where
Jack has lit a bunch of fires to keep them warm. The eye of the storm has passed, so the two gear up to continue hiking. CUT TO:
A few minutes later, they're back on the hike outside. Reading their GPS, they realize they've made it to New York, where hundreds of people are frozen to death in the snow.
104:00 - 105:30 (1.50 pages) [+]INT. TENT, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - NIGHT
Huddled up in their tent,
Jack and
Jason talk about
Sam, trying to guess what the chances are that he's alive.
105:30 - 106:15 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. SPACE STATION - DAY
Up in space, the astronauts confirm with Houston that the storm is finally clearing. (Good news!)
106:15 - 110:45 (4.50 pages) [+]The following short scenes in NEW YORK are part of one larger scene, which is why they're grouped together.
EXT. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
Jack and
Jason emerge from their tent to find that the storm has dissipated. With renewed determination, they continue their hike toward the city.
EXT. / INT. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Arriving at the library, things don't look good. It's almost entirely buried under a mountain of snow. Refusing to give up, they climb through a window and begin searching the building. And just when all hope seems to be lost…
…they find
Sam! Everyone watches as the two jump to their feet and wrap up in a father-son hug.
CLIMAX
110:45 - 111:45 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. / INT. UNITED STATES CONSULATE, MEXICO - DAY
Gomez arrives at the U.S. Consulate to tell the Vice President (now President) some good news:
111:45 - 115:30 (3.75 pages) [+]MONTAGE
The Vice President (now President) addresses the nation, admitting he was wrong and calling for change while people all over the world watch in silence.
Helicopters fly over New York, looking for survivors.
Gomez heads to the library, where
Jack and the kids are still hiding.
Lucy tends to the young boy with cancer, stopping to watch the Vice President (now President) talk about her son's miraculous survival.
Back in New York,
Gomez finds
Jack and the kids. They all hop in a helicopter and fly over the city, looking out at the buildings to find…
…more survivors, camped out on top of the skyscrapers. One by one, the helicopters swoop in to pick them up.
And up in space, the astronauts look out the window at a brand new world, changed forever by the storm…
THE END
⇡ RESOLUTION
Analysis
At first glance,
'The Day After Tomorrow' might seem like a big pill to swallow. But stripped down, it's actually surprisingly uncomplicated. Really, the film is no different from any other three-act story…it just operates on a much larger scale, so the plot points are drawn out a bit longer than we're used to. Here are some things to keep in mind while breaking it all down:
1. The first act is unusually long. At 61 minutes, it takes up almost half of the film.
2. The "Fun and Games" section is comparatively short. At 12 minutes, it's more or less just a setup for the "Roll Downhill," which is where the journey really takes off (on page 72).
3. An action beat shows up roughly every fifteen minutes. The film seems to take this as a general rule, regardless of a particular action scene's importance to the narrative (take the hailstorm in Japan, for example). Similarly, a huge action set piece (like the Los Angeles tornadoes, the New York tidal wave, etc.) happens every thirty minutes, almost on the dot.
4. The story jumps back and forth between two main plotlines. There are a bunch of smaller/less important plotlines sprinkled in, but the bulk of the story is devoted to following Jack and his son, Sam.
That being said,
'The Day After Tomorrow' is really a standard three-act film that's stretched out in some places and compressed in others. So without further ado, let's take a look at where the important plot points show up, and briefly talk about why they are where they are:
Flash-Bang Open [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 03:00 - 06:15
As usual, our Flash-Bang Open happens right after the opening credits. Jack and his partners are doing science stuff on an ice shelf, and suddenly the Earth cracks in half. Big action scene, where everyone almost dies and Jack saves his core samples at the last second.
Take note, though, of what's actually important in this scene: Jack gets some core samples that tell him (in so many words) about an impending climate shift. Now, let's simplify that even more: Jack gets some core samples. One more time: Jack gets some sciency stuff. And that's the goal of the entire scene. Did the big disaster need to happen in order for him to get this stuff? Absolutely not. In fact, if you watch the scene, he already HAD the "stuff" before the action began. But in true movie fashion, Emmerich needs to start his story with a bang, so why not throw an earthquake into the mix?
Opening Exposition [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 00:00 - 24:15
Typically, this section lasts ten to fifteen pages. In
'The Day After Tomorrow', it lasts almost twenty-five. Luckily, the goal is exactly the same:
Introduce the characters and their relationships to each other. And at the same time, of course, we're being set up for a giant, world-ending storm. In all, here's the information we get:
Introduction to Jack (3 scenes, ≈ 10 pgs) [+]• He's a scientist, working with Frank and Jason. (03:00 - 06:15)
• He thinks a storm is coming, but nobody will listen to him. (06:15 - 09:00)
• He loves Sam and Lucy , but he's a shitty dad / husband. (12:00 - 15:45)
Introduction to Sam (4 scenes, ≈ 9 pgs) [+]• He hates his dad. (12:00 - 15:45)
• He has two best friends, Brian and Laura. (16:30 - 18:30)
• He's at an "academic decathlon" in New York. (19:45 - 21:30)
• He has a crush on Laura and hates JD. (21:30 - 22:45)
Introduction to Dr. Rapson (4 scenes, ≈ 5 pgs) [+]• He's scientist-friends with Jack. (08:15 - 09:00)
• He works in Scotland with Dennis and Simon. (09:00 - 10:45)
• He discovers the giant storm… (18:30 - 19:45)
• …and he calls Jack to warn him. (22:45 - 24:15)
Then, there are a few scattered scenes designed to make you say, "Holy shit, look at that storm." I call them…
Fluff (3 scenes, ≈ 4 pgs) [+]• A massive hail storm hits Japan. (10:45 - 12:00)
• A crew of astronauts watches the storm from space. (15:45 - 16:30)
• The wolves in New York start freaking out due to weather. (19:45 - 21:30)
Inciting Incident [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 24:15 - 30:30
Remember: Normally, this would happen around page twelve or fifteen…but our Opening Exposition ran a little long, so here it happens at the 25-minute mark (where
Plot Point #1 would typically be).
The Inciting Incident in
'The Day After Tomorrow' happens when Los Angeles gets destroyed by fifty billion tornadoes. It's a huge, crazy action scene that
sets the plot in motion; i.e., it's the first in a chain of events that will end with Jack deciding to make a journey to find his son (the end of Act I). From this point forward, everyone will start figuring out that a bigger storm is coming, and Act I will come to a close shortly after that storm hits.
Prepare For Adventure [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 30:30 - 60:45
The first thing you should notice about the Prepare For Adventure section in this movie is that it's
thirty f*cking pages long. Like the last two sections, this is WAY longer than the accepted norm; typically, a Prepare For Adventure would take ten or fifteen pages, which means we're clocking in at over twice the length we're used to. So what's so special about the Prepare For Adventure in
'The Day After Tomorrow'? Well for one, it's pretty much overflowing with exactly what Roland Emmerich has become famous for…the "My God" moment:
Seriously, this happens in some form during seven of the film's next ten scenes. But as for what actually
happens in this section…well, it's more or less exactly what we've come to expect: All the characters who were introduced in the Opening Exposition start figuring out that the storm is about to hit, and then it hits. In all, here's how it breaks down:
Jack tries to warn everyone (5 scenes) [+]• Jack explains to his co-workers how global warming works.
• Jack studies with his team, and realizes the giant storm is coming.
• Jack tells Sam to leave New York; Sam doesn't listen.
• Jack tells the Vice President to evacuate the country; he doesn't listen.
• Jack decides to journey to New York to save Sam (Plot Point #1).
Sam finds a place to stay (3 scenes) [+]• Sam ignores Jack's advice / accepts JD's invitation to crash in New York.
• Sam and his friends go to the Natural History Museum (...?).
• The giant tidal wave hits New York. Sam and his friends hide in the library.
• Sam calls Jack, who says, "Stay there…I'm coming for you!" (Plot Point #1).
Dr. Rapson gets snowed in (3 scenes) [+]• Dr. Rapson, Dennis, and Simon laugh nervously about the storm.
• Dr. Rapson sends Jack some data, knowing things aren't looking good…
• Dr. Rapson talks to Jack one last time, accepting his fate.
Then, there are a few scattered scenes that touch on other plotlines. Once again, I call them…
Fluff (3 scenes) [+]• The Vice President tells the President what happened in Los Angeles.
• Lucy tends to the young boy with cancer.
• In Scotland, a bunch of helicopter pilots freeze to death in a storm.
Plot Point #1 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 54:15 - 60:45
Plot Point #1 happens when Jack decides to make the journey to New York and save Sam.
In
'The Matrix,' this is the moment where
Neo decides to take the red pill. In
'Men In Black,' it's where
James decides to become an MiB agent. In
'Tangled,' it's where
Rapunzel decides to leave her tower. See a pattern forming? Plot Point #1 is a
decision on the part of the main character, usually to partake in some kind of adventure. In
'The Day After Tomorrow,' then, this decision is obvious, as Jack pretty much turns right to his friends and says "I'm going to New York to save Sam."
Fun and Games [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 60:45 - 73:00
Emmerich uses his shorter-than-usual Fun and Games section to
set everyone up for the Roll Downhill - i.e., get each plotline prepared (usually by way of "My God" moments) for everything to start going wrong. In all, here's what we get:
Jack says goodbye (4 scenes) [+]• Jack's boss tells him, "The President wants to speak with you."
• Jack speaks with the President.
• Jack says goodbye to Lucy.
• Jack's buddies join him and they set off on their journey (Midpoint Reversal).
Sam stays in the library (2 scenes) [+]• The giant ship stops in front of the library (this is a plant for later).
• Everyone leaves the library, but Sam and his friends stay.
Dr. Rapson dies (1 scene) [+]• Dr. Rapson & co. talk about their regrets, knowing they're going to die.
Midpoint Reversal [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 72:15 - 73:00
The Midpoint Reversal happens when Jack and his friends set out for New York. From here, everything will start going wrong across the various plotlines (the Roll Downhill).
Roll Downhill [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 73:00 - 101:30
This is by far the most complicated section of the film, so here's a bit of setup: At this point, we've established two
main plotlines and two
ancillary plotlines, each of which follows a different character's portion of the story (much like
'Love Actually' a few weeks ago). In a nutshell, these plotlines are…
Main Plotlines
• Jack
• Sam
Ancillary Plotlines
• Lucy
• The Vice President
Simple enough, right? Four plotlines, four sets of characters to follow. And remember what section we're in -- The
Roll Downhill, which is specifically designed for
everything to go wrong. So as convoluted as this portion of the film may seem, it's actually pretty simple: We're going to spend thirty minutes jumping back and forth between four sets of characters as everything goes completely wrong for them. Eventually, we'll hit a low point (the end of Act II), where all hope will seem lost.
Let's get into it then, shall we? The Roll Downhill in
'The Day After Tomorrow' breaks down like this:
MAIN PLOTLINES
Jack (3 scenes) [+]• Jack's car crashes, so he and his friends have to get out and walk.
• The floor caves in, and Jack's friend Frank falls do his death.
• Jason passes out as the eye of the storm hits. Frank scrambles for cover (Plot Point #2).
Sam (6 scenes) [+]• Sam & co. look for food and books to burn for warmth.
• Sam & co. talk about the likelihood that Jack will actually show up.
• Sam and Laura talk about their childhoods.
• Sam and Laura kiss.
• Laura gets sick and needs a dose of penicillin.
• Sam & co. raid the giant ship as the eye of the storm hits. Also, wolf attack. Big action scene, and they barely make it back alive (Plot Point #2).
ANCILLARY PLOTLINES
Lucy (2 scenes) [+]• Everyone abandons the hospital, but Lucy stays with the young cancer boy.
• The ambulance worker shows up, saving Lucy and the boy.
The Vice President (2 scenes) [+]• The President evacuates the White House.
• The President dies, and the Vice President is forced to take over.
Then, of course, there's that other little thread, which I'll again call...
FLUFF
Fluff (3 scenes) [+]• Montage, as everyone evacuates the United States.
• Two library employees talk about some philosophical bullshit.
• The astronauts stare at the storm, then call Gomez to alert him.
Plot Point #2 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 92:15 - 101:30
At the end of Act II, the characters should hit their Low Point, meaning (basically) that things aren't looking good. In 'The Day After Tomorrow,' this happens around the 90-minute mark, when Sam and Jack are both forced to scramble for their lives in the freezing cold "eye of the storm." It's a big action scene, during which they each almost die horrible, painful deaths. Of course, they make it out by the skins of their respective teeth.
This marks the turning point of the film. From here (Act III), everything will just sort of resolve itself; the storm dissipates, Jack finds Sam, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Climax [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 106:15 - 110:45
Naturally, the Climax happens when the hero accomplishes his goal - i.e., Jack makes it to New York and finds Sam alive.
Resolution [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 110:45 - 115:30
Gomez tells the Vice President (now President) that Jack found his son. The Vice President (now President) gives a speech about how we need to change the world. Jack, Sam, and all of Sam's friends get picked up in a helicopter. Everyone lives happily ever after, except of course for the hundreds of thousands of people who died agonizing, horrific deaths. But we're not thinking about them right now. Roll credits.
I'd like to read this again. Perhaps.... The day after tomorrow.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4&ob=av2e