Apocalyptic movies have been around forever because honestly, who knows if or when the world will end? Plus, you get to use some pretty serious CGI in these disaster films and really go to town. Sometimes aliens (think "Independence Day", both directed by Roland Emmerich) convey the wrecking of planet Earth. But as we approach the end of the Mayan calendar, conspiracy theorists and people worried of the unknown fear the approach of Dec. 21, 2012. Thus we have "2012", where it isn't aliens or some other force exploding the planet, but rather planet Earth itself taking it out on all of its inhabitants. And with the recent mega-quakes in Haiti and Chile, people might start taking a little more notice of the changes happening on Earth...
The film begins in 2009, when geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) travels to India and discovers a meteorological event that will eventual heat the earth's core to unsustainable levels. He informs the White House and is promoted to a high ranking position under the President. Other heads of state are notified of the impending disaster, which Helmsley estimates will end the world at some point. We travel ahead to 2012 as the people who know of the impending disaster begin to prepare for the worst.
Introduced next is Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a writer living in Los Angeles. He wakes up, late to pick up his two kids for a vacation to Yellowstone National Park. Upon arriving, Curtis tries to take the children to a favorite lake of his and his ex-wife. Curtis finds it and sees that it is dried up. While looking around, the trio is surrounded by U.S. Army vehicles and kicked out of the site and told it is dangerous. While retreating to his campground, Curtis meets Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) who comes of as crazy, but predicts the world will end soon because of the Mayan calendar. He also mentions her has a map to the location of spaceships that he believes the rich and famous have access to in the event of world disaster.
Curtis and the kids head back to LA after receiving word of serious earthquakes there. Upon arriving home, the earth begins shake and disintegrate as Curtis grabs his ex-wife and her boyfriend, two children and heads for the airport as LA falls into the depths of the earth. Finally heading Charlie's warning, Curtis hopes to make it to Yellowstone and find the map to save himself and his family.
The CGI is really cool for their escape scene from LA, and throughout, "2012" is an exciting film. I also enjoyed the stellar cast, which included Cusack, Amanda Peet, Harrelson, Danny Glover and Oliver Platt. Yeah, it's kind of cheesy, and yeah, its pretty unrealistic, but overall it's an entertaining movie (but a little too long). Not to mention it's timely, with earthquakes and 2012 fast approaching. Are you prepared?
"2012" is rated PG-13 for some language and intense, apocalyptic scenes of destruction.
6 out of 10 stars
Here's the trailer:
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