The master of world ending destruction movies Roland Emmerich is back with 2012. How does it fare? Well more of the same old stuff, nothing new, which is not to say it is bad but neither is it destined for greatness. Whether the Mayans really predicted it or not, just about everyone else is predicting the world will end in 2012. As I was remarking to my wife, wish it were true and verified, I would surely get my hands on a BMW 760Li (or its equivalent) for a drive on (or before) that eventful day.
Roland Emmerich is at it yet again ending the world once again in 2012 never mind the world has survived destruction from space travelling in Stargate, aliens in Independence Day, gigantic lizard monsters in Godzilla, Mother Nature in The Day After Tomorrow and well the past and monoliths in 10,000 BC all courtesy of Mr. Roland Emmerich. Mr. Roland Emmerich, the Mayans and Mother Nature are back again in 2012 to try and end the world yet again, once again for the box office that is and doing a good job of it too by the reports.
Dr. Satnam Tsurutani (Jimi Mistry) (yes from India) discovers the Earth’s core is overheating because the sun is getting hotter and he along with other scientific experts Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), Professor West (John Billingsley) discover this will lead to destruction of the world as we know it in 2012. In simpler terms realignment of the Earth’s core and reshaping of the continents with the North Pole going to the equator among other things. This supposedly takes place every 640,000 years wherein the planet replenishes itself, which means 2012 is the end and there is a new beginning with 0001 for all those who survive.
This story is told over 2 hours too long and for company we have a wimpy and dysfunctional father in John Cusack who does not know his own children and is separated from his beautiful ex-wife Amanda Peet who has a successful boyfriend in Doctor Tom McCarthy. The governments of the world are building modern day arks (yup just like Noah’s Ark) but unlike Noah in secret deep inside the People's Republic of China and is selling each seat on these modern day arks for 1 million Euros each and also taking aboard all manner of animals so that humanity and the animal kingdom can procreate after disaster strikes and the world is destroyed. The movie deals with mainly how John Cusack and his family manage to board the ship as stowaways all the while escaping one disaster after another wherein entire cities and countries are wiped off the face of Earth. This unfortunately draws away from the movie and acts detrimental to the movie instead of adding to it. Who wants to watch a disaster movie and yet not see enough disaster but instead see a family fight its own mini battles. In fact the last 30-40 minutes of the movie are spent meandering inside a ship showing how John Cusack saves the day in helping a door close underwater so that the ark can stay afloat instead of showing the mayhem that is taking place outside.
The one character I enjoyed and found funny was Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) sort of a conspiracy theory reporter who hosts his own radio show and puts John Cusack onto the conspiracy and cover-up the governments of the world are involved in. Woody Harrelson was cheeky and great fun to watch, but also unrecognizable to my high school buddy who accompanied me to the movie. We were later on reminiscing about watching him in such classics as Natural Born Killers. Others like Danny Glover and Thandie Newton are just unfortunately lost in the destruction taking place all over.
2012 is an okay movie, really a letdown for me personally since I was indeed expecting so much more from disaster specialist Roland Emmerich, but there was just not enough of it to go around (literally).