This movie has to be the most ridiculous disaster films ever made but you know what?.. it is also incredibly entertaining.
So, 2012 imagines a world where a series of massive natural disasters begin destroying the planet.. Scientists discover that the Earth is facing a catastrophic threat, while world leaders secretly prepare a survival plan for a small number of people..
Meanwhile, Jackson Curtis, played by John Cusack, is just trying to keep his family alive and honestly, Jackson has one of the worst weekends in movie history... This man starts the movie as a struggling writer and part-time limousine driver but before long, he is running from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, collapsing cities, giant tsunamis and basically every possible form of natural disaster... At some point, I was no longer asking, “Will they survive?”.. I was asking... “How many more things can this man possibly survive?”..
Now, the opening disaster sequence is impressive. The movie wastes no time showing us that the world is about to become a very dangerous place... Buildings collapse, Roads split open, Cars are swallowed by the ground, Entire cities are destroyed and the destruction just keeps getting bigger.... That is definitely the biggest strength of 2012.
The visual effects were massive for a movie acted in 2009, and even now some of the destruction sequences still look impressive... Jackson is divorced from Kate, played by Amanda Peet, and he is trying to reconnect with his children. His relationship with his son and daughter gives him a personal reason to keep fighting... He isn't trying to save the whole planet, He is trying to save his family and that makes the story easier to follow..
John Cusack was actually pretty good in the role. He brings a slightly awkward, ordinary-man energy to Jackson, which makes the character feel more relatable than the typical unstoppable action hero.
He's just a regular man who keeps finding himself in situations where regular men should not be able to survive...
Chiwetel Ejiofor also gives a strong performance as the scientist who discovers the coming disaster and tries to convince world leaders to act... I liked his character because he genuinely seems concerned about saving as many people as possible, even when the people in power are focused on protecting only a select few...
Danny Glover as the American President also brings some emotional weight to the movie. His character is faced with impossible decisions, and the film tries to explore the question of who deserves to survive when there isn't enough space for everyone.... That part of the story is actually interesting because while the movie is busy destroying the planet, it also asks a serious question.... If humanity had the chance to save only a small number of people, who would get chosen?
The rich?...The powerful?.. The intelligent?... The people who can afford it?
The movie doesn't explore the question as deeply as it could have, but the idea is there...
Now, let's talk about the science.... The science in 2012 is doing backflips.
The explanation involving solar neutrinos heating the Earth's core is extremely questionable, and the movie takes scientific concepts and stretches them until they are barely recognizable but honestly, nobody watches 2012 for a science lesson... You watch it to see the White House get destroyed, Los Angeles fall apart, Yellowstone erupt and massive waves swallow cities and in that department, the movie is committed...
The biggest problem is the runtime... At two hours and thirty-eight minutes, the movie is long. Very long..
There are moments where the story slows down and some of the side characters feel like they were added mainly to give the audience somebody else to worry about... The dialogue can also be cheesy, and some of the survival scenes are so unbelievable that they become funny.
Jackson and his family survive things that would have killed entire armies.
But strangely, that is part of the experience because 2012 is not trying to be a realistic disaster movie. It is a giant cinematic roller coaster. It is loud, dramatic, emotional and completely over-the-top and sometimes, that is exactly what you want... The movie may not have the strongest script, but it understands spectacle. It gives you destruction on a scale that few disaster films have matched, and it keeps moving from one impossible situation to another.
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Rating: 77/100
