The Psychological Effects of Watching Cities Get Destroyed in Cinema


Movie Poster- New York City, The Day After Tomorrow. Image © The Day After Tomorrow directed by Roland Emmerich

Movie Poster- New York City, The Day After Tomorrow. Image © The Day After Tomorrow directed by Roland Emmerich

The stage is set in one of the most iconic “end of the world” movie scenes: Citizens of New York City are scrambling on top of taxis, quickly attempting to escape the slow-moving giant tsunami heading their way. In the rear-view mirror of a bus, a giant wave can be seen rushing up the narrow city grid. Searching for higher ground, the main characters, Sam and Laura, run up the famed stairs into the famed New York Public Library, and just as the revolving doors shut behind them, the pressure of the water smashes the windows, and water begins to rise. Without seeing it, we know that New York City and its iconic architecture will soon be destroyed.

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