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The Day After

The Day After (1983)

November. 20,1983
|
7
|
NR
| Drama Science Fiction TV Movie

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

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Marketic
1983/11/20

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

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JinRoz
1983/11/21

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

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AnhartLinkin
1983/11/22

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

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Siflutter
1983/11/23

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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gavin6942
1983/11/24

A graphic, disturbing film about the effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of eastern Kansas.Although the film might be slightly dated today (2017), I would stress only slightly. The overall theme and message are unchanged. The real-life horror that would occur, even in the middle of America, with a full nuclear assault is still something that could occur.While categorized as "science fiction", this is really pretty spot on. People do not gain mutant powers and America does not invent some new device to nullify nuclear weapons. This is a very realistic what-if scenario.

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Hitchcoc
1983/11/25

This was so hyped in its day (1983, 34 years ago). We're still under the threat of a nuclear holocaust with more fingers on the trigger. Unfortunately a couple of those are relatively unstable figures. I remember the lead up to this film and all the talk that went on. When it ended, we were told to look around at the beauty of the world and life itself and to be grateful for this to not have actually happened. The missile silos in Kansas (and obviously other parts of America) are opened and weapons launched. Someone, probably the Soviets and employed first strike. That leads to speculation as to what would happen in the aftermath. I remember the scene in the grocery store where the teenage checkout guy is moving at triple time. The falling ash and the dropping temperatures of a nuclear winter. People trying to help the survivors when food and water are contaminated. It barely addresses the horrors of radiation sickness and dismemberment. This had quite an impact on America for a while. But we've gone back to thinking that if it's dropped on someone else, it will be OK.

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abbedafaria
1983/11/26

It was always "good" U.S.A. and "bad" U.S.S.R.Todays' counts: 0 Russian nuclear missiles in Europe.As of 2005, 180 tactical B61 nuclear bombs of the 480 U.S. nuclear weapons believed to be deployed in Europe fall under the nuclear sharing arrangement.[6] The weapons are stored within a vault in hardened aircraft shelters, using the USAF WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System. The delivery warplanes used are F-16s and Panavia Tornados.[7] What is funny? This: "The US is considering deploying missiles in Europe in response to an alleged nuclear treaty violation by Russia." So, once more: zero Russian nukes in Europe. 180 U.S. nukes in Europe and Russia is a nuclear threat.What if? – A good look at the Cold War and horrors of nuclear disaster 8/10 Author: SimonJack from United States"It may be hard for people born in the last few decades to grasp the time and circumstances of the Cold War. But, besides our experiences growing up under the very real threat of nuclear war in the 1950s and 1960s, many of us have met people who lived under Soviet oppression. Should we not trust their words and take their warnings to heart about such tyrannies? "Dear SimonJack: for me, life under the "Soviet oppression" is much more bearable than life under the todays' U.S. demoNcracy spread by bombs.Dear SimonJack: my life under the "oppresion" 14 September 2013

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DoomDealer
1983/11/27

30-odd years on this is still an immensely powerful and thought-provoking film. As one reviewer put it: "one of the most horrific non-horror films ever made". I couldn't agree more. Yes, it's crudely made (by today's standards), it's "only" a television film and it's heavily flawed in various aspects (which have already been covered), but it has never really lost its relevance. In fact, in light of the current political situation in eastern Europe it has gained renewed relevance, since we currently find ourselves in essence in exactly the same sort of conflict portrayed in the film. Has it actually ever really gone away?The Day After is one of those films that has largely been forgotten. Perhaps because people nowadays don't consider nuclear warfare a threat anymore or because it wasn't a typical Hollywood blockbuster. I don't know anybody who's watched it in the last 20-25 years and I've never heard anybody mention it in that same period of time. It's an enormously underrated film that portrays the horror of nuclear warfare and its consequences in a very realistic way, despite having been made in the early 80's; its bleak atmosphere only emphasising this.I have my doubts as to whether the outcome of the current eastern European crisis will be the same as in the film, since the people in charge are much more aware now of the consequences of nuclear warfare, but everybody would benefit from watching this film (again), especially since the nuclear weapons haven't altogether disappeared since then - they are still very real. America and Russia (and their allies) still have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the entire world ten times over, and some would argue that there is no point in having nuclear weapons if you didn't intend to use them ... at some point.Perhaps we should all reacquaint ourselves with the horrors of nuclear warfare (and watching this film would be a small step in the right direction) in the hope that it will make it less likely that anybody will ever even think about using nuclear weapons ever again.

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