As tensions escalate during a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, we are shown the tribulations of several variant Kansas residents as the respond the impending nuclear destruction. The Day After is a television movie that starts off well enough, introducing its likable characters and building suspense, but quickly sheds its dramatic ambitions and reveals itself solely as infotainment. I remembered watching this as a kid, decided to seek it out again and first arrived at Testament, mistaking the two films due to their similar themes and having both been released in the same year. I found both films to be equally wretched, again with shock value for the sake of informing taking precedence over drama. For something that achieves that effect, I would recommend the Peter Watkins' devastating pseudo-documentary The War Game over either of these so-called "nuclear war dramas."
Entertainment Magazine
As tensions escalate during a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, we are shown the tribulations of several variant Kansas residents as the respond the impending nuclear destruction. The Day After is a television movie that starts off well enough, introducing its likable characters and building suspense, but quickly sheds its dramatic ambitions and reveals itself solely as infotainment. I remembered watching this as a kid, decided to seek it out again and first arrived at Testament, mistaking the two films due to their similar themes and having both been released in the same year. I found both films to be equally wretched, again with shock value for the sake of informing taking precedence over drama. For something that achieves that effect, I would recommend the Peter Watkins' devastating pseudo-documentary The War Game over either of these so-called "nuclear war dramas."
