2012Well folks, it looks like we’ve only got two years to live.With that in mind, are you sure you want to spend the last bit of your precious time watching your terrifying fate on the big screen? If your answer to that question is an enthusiastic and energetic YES, then 2012 is just the movie for you.

Directed by Roland Emmerich, 2012 is about the human race’s greatest fear: the end of the world. According to the Mayan calendar, the world is set to undergo a series of large-scale natural disasters on Dec. 12, 2012, that humans will not be able to survive. The film takes us on the two journeys. The first is with an intelligent but unpopular writer, played by John Cusack. He’s divorced, and has two kids who prefer their mom (Amanda Peet)’s new boyfriend to their real father. Pretty typical, right? Still, if anyone can wiggle back into a child’s heart, it’s Cusack.The second journey follows a geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who works for the White House. He helps the government prepare by giving estimated times for each disaster to hit.

As for the special effects, let’s be honest: they look like a video game. Albeit trying to capture volcanoes the size of cities and earth cracks the size of supermarkets is difficult, it’s no secret that digitalization played a huge role in this film. And there’s no question that 2012 is melodramatic. It’s basically just one horrid natural disaster after the next. The fact that Cusack narrowly escapes death by two seconds on numerous occasions is a bit much.

The film’s most compelling aspect is its underlying moral dilemma: when it comes down to survival, is it every man for himself or every man united? When survival instincts first kick in, panic ensues and individual survival becomes primary. But does that make it right? The movie seems to ask, if you were in the position of these characters, what would you do?

Still, one major problem arises. Is it really a good idea to make this movie now? The world supposedly has only two years left of existence – not exactly a comforting thought. Do we really want mass amounts of people to see such disaster, knowing that some people believe it to be our fate? The film is frightening in that way. You see families get torn apart, witness parents and children saying goodbye for the last time. It makes you think: if this actually happens, where will your loved ones be? Will you get the chance to say goodbye?

This seems like the type of film that should be made after the fact – you know, maybe in 2014, when we are long past this dreaded day and can look back and laugh about how scared we once were. The fact that this date is coming our way so soon is rather unsettling.

Still, 2012 is sure to keep you entertained. It’s action-packed and in-your-face. And hey, it would make for a wicked video game. Let’s just wait a few years before we make it, shall we?

andPOP rating - 3 stars






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