Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build arks to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world. - synopsis from IMDB
Cast - full listing
Genres
action, science-fiction, drama
Facts & Figures
Directed by Roland Emmerich.
Rated 5.8 on IMDB from 295844 votes.
Runtime: 158 min.
Review
2012 leaves nothing to the imagination. Which is exactly why it’s not a very good movie. Sure, the special effects are great and the visual spectacle is daunting at times, but besides that, even John Cusack can’t make much of the predictable plotline and staggering absence of any kind of reflection.
Make no mistake, you will not feel bad leaving the cinema, but this is precisely the problem. You just saw a serene, cheek-pinching and endearing happy ending to the death of 6.5 billion people. And not a note on what that means, how the characters are affected or how we move on from that as a species. Maybe I’m hoping for too much from Emmerich, but his production team have made us believe this is serious stuff. You need to treat it that way then, despite the primary entertainment/action premise.
With all the hectics and drama, Emmerich has failed to pass on any substance whether it be emotional, racial, social or ethical. But the effects are a great distraction.
Seen: 13 Nov 2009
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