2012 (PG-13)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight I am reviewing 2012, a disaster movie about the end of the world as we know it.
So what did I think? This movie was pretty much what I expected. Outstanding special effects and a seat of your pants ride as everything literally falls apart around the characters. My biggest complaint is that the film suffers from “blockbusteritis”. What is that you ask? The feeling that every event movie has to be 2 ½ or 3 hours long whether the story warrants it or not. This movie could have been 2 hours long or less. We need to let Hollywood know that we don’t feel cheated if the movie isn’t mini-series length.
2012 comes from Roland Emmerich, who is responsible for previous “fun” disaster movies like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. The advantage this movie has over those is the advances in computer graphics since those were made. Sometimes the effects are too realistic. To me this realism adds to the tension and the dread in a new way. It’s one thing to see an alien ship blow up the White House with a death ray, but something else to watch Las Vegas collapse into the ground.
John Cusack’s Jackson Curtis must be the luckiest man ever. Somehow he is able to outrun more destruction than you’ve ever seen, but remain one step in front of it at all times. These close shaves do leave you on the edge of your seat and make you kinda nervous. It's John Cusack for God sake, how can I not root for him?
Oddly there is actually a pretty good gathering of actors in the film. I say actors, which is unlike the disaster movies of the 70s that were populated with stars. There is a difference. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson make great additions to the film.
The one effort the filmmakers don’t succeed on is trying to throw some emotion into this affair. You know what they are doing and it actually seems right if this was a film about real people, but it's just not. In fact, most of those scenes bring the movie to a halt or almost make you want to laugh.
If you come to this movie looking for something realistic or even for a great story, you will be disappointed. If you come looking for a thrill ride, then you might be in the right place. If you enjoy movies like GI Joe or Transformers, then this movie is probably up your alley. If you saw the trailer and got excited by scenes like the aircraft carrier John F Kennedy being dumped on the White House by a tidal wave you are probably in the right place.
I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars overall and 3 out of 5 for disaster movie. Independence Day is probably still tops in the modern disaster movie genre, but the amazing effects of 2012 should keep you on the edge of your seat.
