MovieChat Forums > The Day After (1983) Discussion > The Day After vs. Threads

The Day After vs. Threads

posted 11 years ago by the_yoda_pagoda
14 replies | jump to latest

Over the past three weeks or so, I've been watching these various doomsday movies, and after seeing recommendations for 'Threads' I decided, why not watch it. And this weekend I re-watched The Day After almost 20 years of seeing it on cable.

Both movies here are similar in nature...starts out with the normal family life with the backdrop of an impending World War III.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that The Day After was still a better overall movie than Threads. Threads does have TDA beat on two fronts: the 'international tension backstory' in Threads was brilliant, it had a very realistic vibe that ratcheted up the tension as more was happening. Also, the attack and post-attack scenes, mainly the later years after the war were quite grim and realistic.

The Day After, however, seems to move along at a better pace, and instead of the narrator telling you what's going on, the characters tell you what you need to know. I think the character interactions were better in TDA...so many times in Threads, I hoped to hear some dialogue!

[–] Ite 11 years ago

Yeah both are great but I like the Day After better.

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[–] Diss 10 years ago

I really don't think nuclear winter would be as bad as in Threads. You wouldn't see snow in summer or the like. Global temperatures would drop by about 10 degrees C I'd imagine, and crops would fail. That much is true. Threads was good until near the end where it stops being a story, and it's almost all narration. They lose the ability to speak English? No way. I'm not buying it.

[–] euro4569 9 years ago

They lose the ability to speak English? No way. I'm not buying it.

Well, I think there is something to be said about what was portrayed there. If society breaks down too much, knowledge (perhaps not all) will be lost as people would be more or less concerned with trying to survive. As generations go by, the use of language may well deteriorate.

[–] Harout94 11 years ago

For me, Threads was better. I loved that documentary style.

[–] Fat_Lives_Matter 10 years ago

I much prefer The Day After. Threads is just a little too "British" for me. Know what I mean?

[–] eddieinportland 10 years ago

Both are great movies.

[–] millsey72 (9764) 2 years ago

Yes I know what you mean. You hate the Brits

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[–] franzkabuki 10 years ago

The social interactions in TDA before the bombs were dropped, were largely on the level of a soap opera while Threads maintained an authentically gritty, low-key vibe in its depiction of Sheffield's blue collar environment. Also, while the TDA's scenes of devastation and aftermath were rather compellingly hardcore, they're still not quite as terrifying as the analoguous stuff in the English film.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] novastar_6 10 years ago

The social interactions in TDA before the bombs were dropped, were largely on the level of a soap opera

More like little rural American small town.

[–] goatman86 10 years ago

I felt with TDA it had almost a close to Hollywood happy ending as these sorts of films can have and the film seem to end before things got worse post attacks.

If you relate it to Threads, TDA ended at the equivalent of where the father was playing his sons video game thing crying then the slide shows up with a mass grave with him in it.

[–] eggman75 9 years ago

They both deserve equal credit. They're history pieces now but what I found interesting was how the wars start. If you'd have asked anyone in the UK during the 80's what might kick off WW3, they'd likely say The Middle East. In TDA its centres on Berlin which was always a major headache for the Aliies but never seemed to be looked upon as a potential flashpoint to the UK. Maybe it was a case of Ignorance is bliss?