Movie Review – 2012 (2009)

2012 is undoubtedly a film that we could all do without. Finding itself a few years late to the apocalyptic blockbuster movie party, 2012 is sure to feel like a movie that made no effort at originality. The whole idea of basing it off of the end of the Mayan calendar and some weird western beliefs of doomsday was a decent idea, but it almost would have been better if they started the film in 2012 and no government had known about the impending danger the world was facing. Instead, we are left with a film that tries to seek depth by delving into the political and basic human truths involved in a catastrophic event, that at the same time fails to be any less shallow than Fast and Furious. Yes, I am comparing a movie that is about the end of the world to a movie about under cover cops and illegal street racing; it is not a compliment.

2012 is not all bad though; it does manage to pack a lot of action into 158 minutes. Oh wait, 158 minutes is actually a really long time for a movie without a plot. Anyway, it did have lots of action. If you are looking for that big explosion and massive destruction, then 2012 will give you all of the mindless disaster you can imagine. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a film with any substance then you will be sadly disappointed. Thankfully I went in knowing full well that it was not going to be 2001:A Space Odyssey. This is mindless action and no more. John Cusack plays his normal serious role (I like his comedies better by the way) and Woody Harrelson is a great crazy guy. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the young scientist that helps to inform the U.S. of this disastrous event and he plays the part well. Amanda Peet is completely underused, but at least she was professional in her portrayal of a boring character. The acting as a whole was better than the scripting deserved, but everyone here is capable of much a better performance.

The directing and writing of 2012 by Roland Emmerich is unacceptable. We have a poor story as I already mentioned and it is topped off with terribly delivered action sequences one after another for the entire film. I like the idea of the main characters barely avoiding death, but we did not have to have every action scene be so completely ridiculous that it was laughable. Could we not have seen the main characters get away and then things blow up behind them in the distance? Instead the earth crumbles and explodes right around them making it impossible for most of the action sequences to even make sense. I digress, the film is completely deliberate in its mindless action so I really shouldn’t be so harsh.  Roland Emmerich himself said that this was the last disaster movie he would make (sigh of relief), so he had to put every disastrous idea to practice in it.  Maybe now we can get back to movies more like The Patriot which at least had nothing to do with the end of the world.

I am sure many will like 2012, not because it is a well made movie or because it has a moving story, but because of it serving its exact purpose of being nonstop action with no need to think. You can shut your brain off for a complete 2 hours and 38 minutes and watch the pretty colors flash across the screen.  I just seem to be getting more and more irritated the more I think about the film, so I better stop while I still feel generous.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 593,887
Sharon Movie? No

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Roland Emmerich
Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller

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