This addition to director Roland Emmerich’s ode to destruction and the end of the world is fun if you switch off your brain and stare at the pretty pictures, but don’t expect anything of substance.
2012 takes its inspiration from the belief that the world will come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012, which many believe the Mayans predicted and acknowledged through the end of their calendar. What many consider to be utter nonsense begins to become a reality three years prior to this date when large changes start occurring on the planet. Basically the earth is heating from the inside, creating an unstable crust that will begin to shift in the next couple of years. In order to make this a more accessible story, a generic family with problems and adorable children are thrown into the turmoil, fighting to survive as the world literally comes crashing down around them. Oh, and a Russian family as well, but I choose to ignore that for the most part…
When you get down to it, little about this film really makes sense. But worst of all, the set up is completely unnecessary. For the first hour of the film the movie trudges through random stories that seem to have no connection or relevance to the basic conflict of man vs. the world, and when these subplots finally start to come together and make sense there is no satisfaction. Instead, they are more “Eh, whatever” moments. But what’s more is that, personally, I know I was there to see some total destruction, and that didn't really occur until the first hour was over.
Once the apocalypse begins, the screen is engulfed in amazing visual effects, but unfortunately even this starts to go the way of the story. After the initial race through the tumbling city of LA, every other scene is just a remix of this, more often than not involving a vehicle being chased by some angry environmental forces. Over and over and over again… Sure, the first time they run out of runway in the plane there’s an “oh no” moment, but when it happens for a second, and then third time, the tension is lost. Okay, so maybe this time there are fireballs involved, but really, it's the same thing.
The lack of dedication to a great story, dialogue, or enough characters to care about (though I guess it could be argued that many are just cannon fodder) makes it clear early on that this film was just an excuse to go crazy with the visual effects. My advice to you: if you do choose to go see this movie, make sure you drag someone along who will be just as willing to sit there and make snarky comments of everything that’s happening on screen.
Final Grades: Story: F+
Effects (AKA the reason for this films existence): A-
Averaged out: C (but I think that’s way too forgiving)
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