In fact, the entire Northern Hemisphere looks to be a goner when a global superstorm strikes, but the Big Apple seems to be -- pardon the expression -- ground zero. And anyway, burying the Statue of Liberty in snow with ice crystals on her crown is such a potent visual.

Having exploited our paranoia over an alien invasion (Independence Day) and Japanese giant lizards (Godzilla), Emmerich turns his attention to the weather. That may not sound like much of a terror source, but it appears that global warming can lead to more than just a sweaty day.

As climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) warns a UN conference attended by a skeptical, Cheney-esque U.S. vice president, hundreds of years from now melting polar caps can flood the oceans with fresh water, disrupting currents and destabilizing our climate system, causing a new Ice Age.

Yeah, it sounds far-fetched. And then it happens.

As with many disaster flicks, The Day After Tomorrow bounces around the world, observing early evidence of the havoc ahead. It begins with a cliff-hanger, literally, as Quaid almost buys the farm when a polar ice shelf cracks open. Then a lethal hail storm rips through Tokyo, hurricanes pound Hawaii and tornadoes tear up Los Angeles -- all a mere, um, warm-up to the big freeze ahead. Source.

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