FROM THE director of The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and Godzilla, Roland Emmerich again lives up to the reputation of his previous works and blows us away with his vast selection of unbelievable special effects in his latest release; 2012.
This has to be the new ‘mother of all disaster films’ and cannot be beaten for the sheer level of destruction it presents from start to finish. Throughout, we see everything imaginable, from a limo crashing through a crumbling skyscraper as Los Angeles collapses in its wake, to the Dalai Lama being swept off his mountain perch by a tsunami. Although these effects are amazing in their own right they become repetitious as the film progresses.
At the heart of this story are charismatic scientist Adrian Helmley (Chiwetel Ejiofor ) and failed novelist Jackson Curtis (John Cusack ). After making the shocking discovery that as the earth’s crust heats up the world will end in 2012, Ejiofor, along with the ‘take no prisoners’ style White House chief of staff (Oliver Platt ) are assigned to take charge of the top-secret efforts to save humanity.
While on a camping trip with his children in Yellowstone National Park, Curtis, a divorced father of two, bumps into the conspiracy crackpot, Charlie. Everything Charlie says seems to be coming true, and before he knows it Curtis is flying half way across the world with his family to find their last chance of survival - a modern version of Noah’s Ark.
Against all the odds Curtis and his family make it on board but any chance of survival seems to have vanished when the gate jams. The end looks imminent, but, after risking his life to save the human race, Curtis becomes a hero and his once divided family is reunited.
Although John Cusack takes his role by the scruff of the neck, the film, which reportedly cost $260 million to produce, is a bit ‘out there’ and its protracted ending is a little anti-climatic.
However if you are looking for a movie and are a fan of earthquakes and tsunamis that are quite literally out of this world, this is the film for you.
Verdict: 3\5
