The Day After

This no-nonsense glimpse into the possibility of nuclear war was a cultural phenomenon upon release and is the most-viewed made-for-TV movie in history. It's more unflinching than you'd expect it could afford to be, given its origins. Though it foregoes the deep depravity in which later post-apocalyptic fiction revels, it does get quite dark and depicts many tragedies and, towards the end, crimes, lending it the air of believability which makes it so uncomfortable. It ends with an on-screen message underscoring that the real thing would likely be far worse.

The plot has a major issue for contemporary audiences - it takes far too long to get started, almost 40mins. 50 years from now, if people have forgotten to fear The Bomb, that preamble might be required to set the mood. In 2023, and I suspect even in 1983, it could have largely been deleted. It's so egregious that I can't even give the movie the A rating it otherwise clearly deserves.

The film deserves a higher-fidelity, even-darker remake, if it could find a director with a sufficiently delicate touch.