Seen on: November 13, 2009

The players: Director: Roland Emmerich, Writers: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt

Facts of interest: None, really.

The plot: As the world comes to an end in the year 2012, a group of brave people try to survive the cataclysms surrounding them. 

Our thoughts: Roland Emmerich’s latest apocalyptic big-screen spectacle works best as a comedy. The film boasts a number of excellent laughs, and that’s the main reason I found it moderately enjoyable. Other than that, it’s nothing more than yet another utterly ridiculous, overblown sci-fi action piece about the end of the world.

“2012” Starts with a top-notch scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) making the shocking discovery that dangerous solar flares and Earth crust displacement will soon cause the world as we know it to fall apart. He quickly shares his knowledge with the White House, and next thing we know, the global governments plan a massive evacuation.

The only problem is, most of humanity is left in the dark about the forthcoming catastrophe, and only the world’s richest people are able to afford a seat on big ships that will guarantee survival. That’s when we meet Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a chaotic author and limo driver we know will eventually emerge as the movie’s real hero.

And so it begins: the year 2012 arrives, and massive earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis start to swallow buildings, roads, cities, countries and finally, continents. While most people are surprised by these events, Jackson knew something was up, which is why he grabs his family in an attempt to escape the cataclysms around him.

If you’ve seen most of Emmerich’s films, you know exactly how this whole thing is going to go down. The governments act like fools and abandon their citizens only to realize too late they’ve made mistakes, and our brave hero becomes indestructible as he tries get his loved ones to a safe place before everything blows up.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about logic and surprises in “2012.” The film has none of those, and one action scene is more far-fetched and hilarious than the next. Cusack’s character Jackson is particularly funny, because the things he achieves in this movie are humanly impossible. But of course they are!

So, what makes this destruction flick decently enjoyable? First, Emmerich knows how to properly build tension. Secondly, he’s a dab hand at directing visually stunning action sequences that always capture our attention and leave us hungry for more spectacular onscreen destruction. So far, so good.

While the first two thirds of “2012” are fast-paced, the last chapter fails to impress. Things really start to drag once most countries are gone, and the final chapter takes forever to reach its conclusion. Plus, the suspense takes a hit as well, and the film’s Wow effect is starting to wear off too quickly. In other words, the movie is way too long.

Freaky quote: "When they tell you not to panic... that's when you run!" - John Cusack

The final word: Laughable from the point of view of story, but technically impressive, “2012” is a partly amusing action film that beats Emmerich’s “10,000 B.C.” but isn’t as entertaining as “Independence Day.” As a silly destruction flick with lots of ups and downs (maybe more downs than ups), it works, and that’s all it needs to do.

Article by Franck Tabouring