Val Guest: The Day the Earth Caught Fire

Doug Cummings von Filmjourney verzichtet auf den Besuch des jüngsten Emmerich-Blockbusters, bespricht dafür ausführlich etwas viel Feineres: Val Guests Katastrophenfilm-Klassiker "The Day the Earth Caught Fire":

The disaster genre is not generally known for its insights into characters or its clever screenplays, but The Day the Earth Caught Fire is an admirable exception. Its attention to the inner and outer lives of its protagonists makes its physical doom an externalized metaphor for Stenning's personal life, off-kilter and spinning out of control, both fates equally weighted between hope and despair. My advice for those seeking end-of-the-world entertainment? Skip the multiplex this weekend and rent this intelligent and bittersweet film, fully deserving of a rediscovery.