So before bowling on Monday Nina and I went to check out the latest effects/disaster movie by the guy who brought us such Sci-Fi classic shitplates as Godzilla, ID4, Stargate, and Moon 44.

Let me start off by saying that the effects are really quite good. The tsunami crashing into Manhattan is only outdone by the tornados in LA. On the other hand, there were some small detail effects that were biffed... like the snowshoe tracks that don't line up with the snowshoes, etc. But this is obviously a big whiz-bang effects show and if you're going to see it, you should see it in the theater for this reason.

One thing that usually irks me about big-budget FX films that was thankfully lacking here was lousy acting. I think all of the principals gave good performances that did not distract from the bad science and ham-handed environmental ethics lessons of the film. I like Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal a lot, anyway.

The only real problem with the film was the writing. The movie is blatantly pulled along by the effects, and when you find yourself at a portion of the story that doesn't rely on effects... they throw in rabid timberwolves - presumably to give the computers and effects nerds something to work on. Spare redshirts are kept in the story to be killed or injured later during relatively dull sequences, but just like in Star Trek, they don't actually contribute anything to the film outside of their moment of rope-cutting drama.

I understand why Emmerich put these elements in the film... because without them it's just a bunch of sweet storm effects surrounded by interludes of people in jackets. But filler drama, however dramatic, doesn't make the movie any better.

Despite all my bitching, I enjoyed this film - but on a strictly SFX level.