Memo to humanity: the world is not going to end.? Do not be alarmed by the hype that has surrounded the new action-pack from Roland Emmerich, the man that brought us such explosive blockbusters as “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”? Please calmly remain seated and remember, this is not a documentary.?
“2012” is essentially a ridiculous adaptation of an ancient Mayan prophesy. Careful observers of the stars, the Maya marked the year 2012 as the first time in 26,000 years that that the planets would align with the sun. They predicted that the year would bring a radical transformation to the world. While today’s leading scholars doubt that the Maya believed it would prove apocalyptic, Emmerich begs to differ.
In his version, the astronomical event causes the Earth’s core to heat rapidly and leads to catastrophes of epic proportion.? Volcanoes erupt. Tsunamis crash. As human civilization struggles to survive, a writer named Jackson Curtis (John Cusack)? struggles to save his family from the global cataclysm.
“2012” is the ultimate action-suspense flick. If you want big explosions, lots of special effects, and impossible feats, this is your film.? One hardly notices that the movie actually runs for over two and a half hours!? Sometimes the special effects are a little overwhelming, but hey, it is supposed to be the end of the world. Who says it can’t be a little overdone?
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As for acting, the characters are very entertaining and relatively well developed. From the Paris Hilton wannabe, Tamara (Beatrice Rosen), to the moralistic geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel? Ejiofor), the film was well cast.? Arnold Schwarzenegger even makes an appearance as “the Governator” mid-way through the film (although someone on the set probably should have been informed that his term ends in 2011).
Scientifically, however, the film is so wrong it is almost nonsensical. First of all, there is no reason why a unique arrangement of planets would result in a geomagnetic shift. Sure, the planets will be aligned for the first time in thousands of years, but the next day they will be positioned in another way, and it will be the first time they have been positioned that way in thousands of years as well.
Secondly, if a geomagnetic shift were to occur, it would happen over thousands of years not the 30 seconds it takes in the movie.? The film presents cataclysmic events that come out of nowhere. In reality, it just doesn’t happen that way. Lastly, if volcanoes were to erupt and cities to come crumbling down, you would not be able to simply out-drive the destruction, no matter how good looking you were.?
So do not worry; the chances of this happening are very slim. Emmerich has made his career producing blockbusters that are as thrilling as they are absurdly unrealistic. He recently told USA Today that “2012” will be the last film he makes like this. So, please, stop panicking, sit down, and enjoy this film for what it is: lots of explosions, lots of melodrama, and even more explosions.?
Rated: PG-13
Grade: B