The world will encounter a major calamity in the upcoming movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," but like most disaster flicks scientific fact is not relevant, says a Ball State University climatologist.

The producers of the movie "Hollywoodize" global warming to create a scenario that has little chance of happening, said Robert Schwartz, a geography professor at Ball State.  

"Hollywood senses our fascination with extreme weather," he said. "People enjoy these movies due to the special effects, subplots and the entertainment value. Most people are not concerned with scientific accuracy. As long as people buy tickets, Hollywood will make these disaster movies."   

In "The Day After Tomorrow," which opens in theaters May 28, a super storm hits the planet, creating tornadoes that plow through Los Angeles, grapefruit-size hail that pummels Tokyo and snowfall that buries New Delhi.

The movie is based on the premise that Earth is struck almost instantly by the effects of global warming, something playing on recent reports in the media, Schwartz said.

"Earth is around 4.6 billion years old, and there have been many climate cycles," he said. "There was talk in the 1960s and 1970s about another ice age returning. However, the late 1990s and early 21st century brought warnings about global warming."

Schwartz compares "The Day After Tomorrow" to another recent disaster flick, NBC's "10.5," which had America torn apart by a major earthquake.   

"That movie had all the ingredients, including special effects, human interest subplots and a weak attempt at science," he said. "For an earthquake similar to 10.5 on the Richter scale to have the impact shown in the movie, it would have to be over 60,000 kilometers in length. That's impossible because the Earth's circumference is only 40,000."

Schwartz believes weather-related disaster movies are popular because many people are fascinated with storms.

"When I ask my students why they are interested in the impact of bad storms, their answers include comments about observing the beauty, power and even the fear of storms," he said. "Others are fascinated by the storm structure while there are some who are thrill seekers. These people have what I call the 'twister mentality.'"

People with a 'twister mentality' are interested in seeing tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hail and hurricanes while being obsessed with observing damage and debris.

"What they don't realize is that peoples' lives are being affected by these phenomena," Schwartz said.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Schwartz at rmschwartz@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1761.)