Review of “2012″

Two words: breathtaking visuals. That pretty much sums up the film “2012″, directed by action movie master Roland Emmerich. Though the plot line is rather thin, and the characters are a bit two-dimensional, this movie is one of the most amazing films of the year. In the same vein as “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Poseidon” ( to a certain extent), “2012″ chronicles one group’s adventure during a cataclysmic event and their struggle for survival. The basic plot is the same as “The Day After Tomorrow” and the group dynamics are similar to those found in “Poseidon,” but with people from different nations.

The beginning of this movie was very interesting and quite an effective way of storytelling. The viewer is shown vignettes of major events that lead to the end of the world in 2012. For instance, we are shown how in 2009, the earth’s core is superheating, and by 2012, we have billionaires buying tickets for seats on gigantic arks meant to save a bit of humanity. The “intro” to the rest of the movie sets up the film very well, and is once again, somewhat reminiscent of what is shown in “The Day After Tomorrow” (little bits of news reports from around the world). After the title card, we are introduced to the main character (or at least the one we are meant to sympathize with the most) Jackson Curtis (Cusack). Yes, there is also the scientist Adrian Helmsley, another important character, but he doesn’t go through nearly as many dangerous situations, nor see the destruction first hand (at least not until the end of the movie) as Cusack’s character. The ex-wife (Peet) and her failing relationship with an irksome cosmetic surgeon (McCarthy) adds a tiny bit of a break from the “end of the world” theme in the movie. Some secondary characters are entertaining to watch, but don’t add much depth to the film, such as the Russian Billionaire Yuri Karpov (Buric), his bimbo girlfriend Tamara (Rosen), their pilot Sasha (Urb), and the crazy comedic Charlie Frost (Harrelson). The element that makes this film very exciting but very scary at the same time is the amazing CGI work. Scenes of Los Angeles sinking beneath the sea and Washington DC being pounded by a tsunami are chilling. The amount of destruction in this movie is enough to make any die-hard action movie lover swoon. It definitely tops the other special effects-ladened movies of the year in terms of sheer awe-inspiring action sequences.

Generally, the acting in this movie was just good enough to keep the film going.  Of course, no Best Actor or Best Actress nominations are destined for this film, but in terms of believability, this movies delivers.  The academy awards this film COULD garner are Best Sound Mixing, Best Special Effects, and Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing.

The general pull of this movie is it’s obvious tie to the predictions the Mayans made about the year 2012.  This movie DOES NOT delve into those predictions, but DOES touch upon the pseudoscientific predictions which makes for a more realistic (although farfetched) film.

To conclude, I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars for its amazing special effects and workable plot line.  The film is able to leave one superbly entertained, if  one lets it.  But, once again, don’t take my word for it.  Go see it for yourself!