Rating: 
Summary: The apocalypse culture
Review: The plot is simple: A nuclear war between the USA and the former USSR has all but destroyed human civilization. Now, survivors must struggle amongst the ashes.......and face the fallout.Released back in 83, this made for TV movie was rather controversial for its graphic depiction of a nuclear apocalypse. The plot itself revolves around a small group of survivors in Lawrence, Kansas. The performances shine, with Jason Robards as the doctor in charge of helping the survivors, Amy Madigan as an expectant mother-reluctant to have her baby in a nuclear ravaged country, and a good performance by Steve Guttenberg, as a survivor who helps various others on his way to Lawrence. Whilst hardly a positive viewing experience, The Day After still strikes a cord to this day. Granted, the USSR is gone but nuclear weapons, thousands of them, remain. As long as they exist, films like The Day After should be watched. Now, where's the DVD?
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest movies on the subject
Review: I believe this is one of the greatest and most comprehensive works on the subject of a full-scale nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union. The movie is focused on a few people living in and around Kansas City when the nuclear holocaust takes place. Even if the large number of characters prevents the viewer to ever get to know any one of them well enough, the movie does a great job in showing what might have happened if an event like this would have really taken place. The movie is now (2001) a terrifiying tale of alternate history, and it can be interesting in order to understand the cold war climate of the beginning of the '80s. VERY IMPORTANT: As always with these kind of movies, AVOID WATCHING IT ON A DATE!!!
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Summary: It Could Be Happening Now
Review: Sept 20, 2001,
I saw this film on TV years ago...Taped it, but can't find my tape. At this time, shortly after 911, and as our president and military forces consider our options and tactics, I can't help but remember this film and how World War III in this film started with a conflict with the Middle East.
BUY IT!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this movie
Review: I really don't know what would make any person ever want to buy such a disturbing movie as this. The damn movie isn't exactly your saturday family night blockbuster! Of course all of this can really happen I really don't think we need to sit and watch people die of radiation poisoning from the nuclear bomb and see people suffer. Even though the people are acting the all star cast in this movie does a good job acting the whole nightmare out. Thats what makes this movie so chilling you put yourself in those peoples shoes and see how you would act to it. The movie is quite depressing especially near the end and leaves a long lasting depression on you after you watch it. Let me just say this its not one of those movies where you'll watch it and forget about it for the rest of the day you'll keep thinking about it after you watch it because of the chilling disturbing effects it has. Well acted, but It will scare kids and many grownups. I really though don't see any point of having this movie in your video collection. It may send a message but a negative one and life is too short to watch movies like this and think about the negatives in life. Not a positive movie at all and I think a comedy movie would be more suitable.
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Summary: A sobering dose of reality
Review: This movie avoids one of the problems I often see with end-of-the-world type stories: failing to focus on the common people. In ARMAGEDDON and DEEP IMPACT, we spend a lot of time watching astronauts and presidents, rather than the average Joe. In THE DAY AFTER, it is all about common people, and how they deal with catastrophe. The suspense and disbelief prior to launch is believable, the actual launch is heart-stoppingly poignant. The aftermath devolves into a hopelessly depressing morass, but even in that it is horribly realistic. For those who want to take an unflinching look at a possible future, I highly recommend this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Hour After......
Review: THE DAY AFTER was to be THE made-for-TV anti-BOMB fable. Released in 1983 as "secular" film of Revelation...BEYOND IMAGINING! hyped TV promos...it was greatly disappointing. This is partially because of asinine Talking Head discussions predicting national traumatism of youthful viewers. (Legions of counselors were dispatched like a priesthood...T-Group/Mass for the masses...to enable psychic healing.) The crassness of ratings-war ploy failed "to protect" a vunerable public from a movie that lacks wallop...nuclear or otherwise. Director Meyer seems to be going through the motions. As do many fine actors (led by Jason Robard and John Lithgow)in the ensemble cast. Technically the film is adequate. The NUCLEAR STRIKE sequence effects are good. But the DAY AFTER War Day suffers from the same "listlessness" that characterizes the pre-Attack segment. Problem? The movie, in my estimate, lacks moral and "military" compass. The War Scenario positing Soviet invasion of Western Europe though the Fulda Gap...followed by text book NATO "tactical" nuclear response...is curiously unmoving. (The Escalation Narrative is ambiguously conveyed by cliched use of intermittent News announcements). This is the Time of Terror. Relegation of "reasons" for WW III to backgound noise neither sustains tension, nor provokes reflection this movie purportedly intends. The satirical characterization of THE PRESIDENT (probably intended as Reagan) is as transparent as it is indign for a film of such serious matter. (Recall: Peter Sellers' roles as President and RAF Wing Commander/SAC liaison in DR. Strangelove were played with deadly seriousness; without meretricious irony.) Yes: Nuclear War is bad (wrong......INAPPROPRIATE!). But: THE DAY AFTER...unintentionally... conveys moral vacuity by lack of dramatic force or commitment (cf: THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER; or 13 DAYS). Though set in Kansas, this is a Hollywood "adventures of World War III" piece of slick, PC amorality that blames no one for anything, nor accounts for its own flacid nihilism. 20 years later this film is ...in my obviously critical assessment...a "Wonderland" curiosity. Technically and dramatically competent in execution THE DAY's impact is decisively low yield. Watch it and be "entertained". But it is not an illumating, frightening or stirring-to-rage STATEMENT. It's just a big TV movie whose "effect" will be forgotten...by most viewers...THE HOUR AFTER
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Summary: Not just another n-bomb movie
Review: I have watched this movie every time it comes on television. This is not just another n-bomb movie--this can be what a real explosion, or several explosions, is like. I worked at Civil Defense when this was aired. You would not believe the number of paniced citizens that called the next day! You can look at this movie from several directions--as a passive viewer just watching a movie about a bomb; as a viewer who loves disaster type films; or in my case, as a person who not only loves disaster type films, but also who knows that real film footage was used in this movie from the U.S. Army who were conducting tests in the 40's and 50's on then atomic bombs to see what would happen in the case of upper level explosions, ground explosions, and sub-ground explosions. If you like this movie, then watch the British version called "Threads". Hopefully, some day, they'll also put "Threads" on video or DVD. They're both very well written and researched.
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Summary: Not Bad for a 1983 Television Movie
Review: The Day After is a made-for-television movie that attempts to convey the horrors of nuclear war. The movie was aired commercial free in 1983 and sparked a bit of a controversy due to the movie's graphic depiction (for its time) of the effects of radiation sickness. The movie focuses on the area surrounding Kansas City after the USA and USSR have exchanged nuclear volleys. The main focus of the picture is on three separate characters. You have Russell Oakes (Jason Robards), a doctor at the Univeristy of Kansas Hospital; Stephen Klein (Steve Guttenberg), a University of Kansas medical student who is trying to make is way back home to his parents in Joplin, MO when the attack occurs; and Billy McCoy (William Allan Young), a runaway air force airman who is attempting to get back to his wife. All three eventually suffer the effects of radiation sickness. We see them slowly disintegrate from healthy individuals to melting piles of flesh. The obvious lawlessness that would accompany a nuclear holocaust is given front stage in many scenes in the movie as people become less interested in helping their fellow man than in finding a way to survive. There are several scenes of outright viciousness that would very likely occur following a nuclear exchange. The special effects of the bomb blasts was a bit unconvincing, even when considering the time period that the movie was made in. However, the makeup effects showing the radiation sickness more than made up for that. This movie may have been intended to "educate" the world about the dangers of nuclear war; but, it has remained because it is actually a decent piece of movie making. It didn't change the world (as no movie is ever likely to). However, it did give people reason to pause and think about the world at large and how there are a lot of things out of our control that can affect us in very negative ways. More than anything, this is a movie which speaks to living in the moment.
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Summary: A Very Powerful Flim!
Review: This is one of the most haunting flim I have ever had the luck to see. Jason Robarbs is top notch in this movie. I'm so happy to see that it is finally on VHS. I wished that all the powers of the world could be forced to watch this truely moving show. I show this on TV the first time it was shown and have never gotten over the imagies that this movie brings into your home. An excellent flim, well worth seeing. I would not recommend this to small children, this flim is very realistic and could be very disturbing to them. I recommend this to older persons, it is a tour deforce in acting, script and directing.
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Summary: Scary and True
Review: When I watched this on Sci-Fi this summer, I was shocked and disturbed. The idea of how close we came during the Cuban Missile Crisis and then this was the most scared I've ever been in a while. I couldn't finish the movie because I had to go out with some friends, but I was scared out of my mind. The idea of a nuclear attack is so true that I freaked my parents out who finished watching it. Meyer does a superb job in creating a stunning and powerfully true production. The destruction sequences are strangely real, and horrific because they seem to be what they really are. We can prevent such a holocaust like the ones that these people experienced.
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