Les Jones: Paleoclimatologist Review of "The Day After Tomorrow"

August 03, 2004

Science > Paleoclimatologist Review of "The Day After Tomorrow"

Members of rec.arts.sf.written asked poster and Duke University paleoclimatologist William Hyde to review "The Day After Tomorrow." He declined, saying he wouldn't do it unless someone gave him $100. They did, and he did. Via Colby Cosh:

The movie is at its most stunningly accurate in its portrayal of paleoclimatologists.
Paleoclimatologists are notoriously brave and of course very fit. Nary a one of us would hesitate to jump a widening crevasse - twice - while wearing arctic gear - to recover some ice cores which would take 2-3 hours to re-drill. We're watching out for *your* tax dollars. Score one for the movie.

Paleoclimatologists are also notoriously handsome/beautiful, indeed, the envy and despair of other scientists (because frostbite gives the skin such a youthful appearance). I cannot fault the producers for failing to cast realistically good-looking people in these roles (Dennis Quaid barely qualifies as handsome enough) but I suspect that there just aren't enough good looking actors in Hollywood to populate a typical paleoclimatic working group.

Now I'm through saying positive things.

There's more.

Posted by lesjones

Comments

i believe that paleoclimatology is a very interesting job , and seems to have a lot of fun and interesting qualitys to it. i am doing a report on paleoclimatology in earth science and hopefully i can find as much good imformation as possible i have seen the movie the day after tomorrow and i thought the film was great i really do believe paleoclimatology is the job i need to do but it also seems very dangerous ! if the reader of this document knows any more details about paleoclimatology i would be very pleased if u would send me and e-mail of it

Posted by: Skyler Mathis at September 02, 2004

Hi im a student pilot, but i have been around aviaton enough to know that Aviation gas will not freeze before the people do in the helicoper ofer europe scene.

Posted by: Austin Watkins at February 16, 2005

as a Blackhawk pilot for the USAF, I must agree with the student pilot when he says that the fuel wont freeze before the people. In addition i must say that the blades wont freeze because they create the most friction of the aircraft, so they would be the last thing to freeze.

Posted by: Capt. John Vega, USAF at February 16, 2005

"I must agree with the student pilot"

You mean the student pilot who has a different name than you, but who has the same email address and same IP address, and who posted 26 minutes before you did on a six month old post? Buddy, you're agreeing with yourself. You're not fooling anybody.

Posted by: Les Jones at February 16, 2005

i was wondering whether the temperature detectors were an actal thing in the movie a day after tom... i am doing a project and would love to know if they are a factual device.

Posted by: katie at April 13, 2005

i was wondering whether the temperature detectors were an actal thing in the movie a day after tom... i am doing a project and would love to know if they are a factual device.

Posted by: katie at April 13, 2005

i was wondering whether the temperature detectors were an actal thing in the movie a day after tom... i am doing a project and would love to know if they are a factual device.

Posted by: katie abbott at April 13, 2005

I think the movie was good it explained what a paleoclimatologist do I want to become one so I this movie gave me enough information what they do .I think i would like to the weather an d stuff just like they did on this movie I wonna work up there over people just like he did I think it would be fun.OH!And once again nice job on making the movie it was more than good. From victoria I'm only a 9th grader already know what i want to do with my life because of this movie thanks for the tips.

Posted by: Victoria showers at April 28, 2005

I think the movie was great and now i am doing an assignment on it,so reckon everyone who has not seen it to see it. I've got one question - Would the world eva become like it does in the movie?

Posted by: AK7 at August 16, 2005

I LOVE THE FILM ITS INSPIRED ME TO BECAME A PALEOCLIMATOLOGIST AND I KNOW SO VERY MUCH ABOUT THING TO DO WITH IT THAT I SPEND 10 HOURS A DAY
ON THE COMPUTER STUDYING AND I JUST WENT IN YEAR 9 AND I KNOW SO MUCH I LOVE THAT STUFF.
AND I LIKE ALL THE ACTORS THAT PLAYED IN THE FILM. I ENJOYED IT A LOT.
AND I HAVE WIRTE 15 PAGE ON WORD MS I LIKE EVERY THING ON IT AND I AM HOPING TO GET LOTS OF INFO UNTIL MY BIRTHDAY ON MAY 23 1992 AND THE FILM WAS RELEASED 5 DAYS AFTER MY BIRTHDAY LAST YEAR.
AND I ALSO VIST THE WEB EVERY DAY OF THEDAYAFTERTOMORROW.

Posted by: Hammad at September 02, 2005

HI ANY INFO YOU NEED ON PALEOCLIMATOLOGIST JUST ASK ME AND ANY INFO ON ICE AGE AND EVERY THING TO DO WITH THE MOVIE OR PALEOCLIMATOLOGIST AND SUBJECT INFO.
THANKS FOR READING.

Posted by: Hammad at September 02, 2005

Im a junior in high school right now and i saw the movie The Day After Tomarrow. Well it interested me alot. I want to be a paleoclimatologist later on. I don't know where in the heck i can get started on my schooling for this. If you know of any major universities that offer this as a major could you let me know.

Posted by: Carly Jackson at January 17, 2008