I went along to see 2012 a while back and I noticed whilst doing my shopping this weekend that it's now out on DVD- I kept flitting back to the shelf it was on and eventually came away with UP, the Disney/Pixar film that's currently wowing everyone (I would seriously recommend this film and if you don't start blubbing within 15 mins you've got nerves of steel!) Anyway, back on the subject on 2012, when I first watched it I came out of the cinema a bit confused as to whether I enjoyed it or not.
One the one hand, Roland Emmerich did a great job with the special effects, which were really very impressive. However, I personally wasn't sure whether being totally depressed because most of the world's population has just been wiped out in various ways i.e. volcanic eruptions, tsunamis etc could really be called an entertaining film. Not to mention there was the fact that the plot was a bit ridiculous - somehow particles from solar flares effectively microwaving the earth's core until the crust shifts doesn't seem very plausible. However, despite all of this, I was on the edge of my seat once the action unfolded and i'd eaten my large nachos and cheese! (yum yum)
2012 was surprisingly enjoyable, even through the anarchy and chaos the main character, a divorced novelist played by John Cusack, adds a strange element of normality. Now I think about it, so did the people still talking on their mobile phones even after a tsunami has covered Mount Everest. Again, totally unbelievable because I doubt O2 and Orange would still provide a half decent service after the world has fallen apart.
Like the captain in Titanic, the American and Italian presidents choose to stay with their people to meet their demise with dignity instead of running to the "arks" for a safe exit. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our Prime Minister and the Queen. The whole plot thread with the secret arks hidden in China was an interesting one, a great way of conveying the social injustices that exist in the world today. For example, in the film, the people chosen to board the arks were supposed to have been selected according their genes and what they contribute to the human race, but it was inevitable that 90% of them just so happened to be very rich. It wasn't all doom and gloom though, almost all of the "ordinary" characters that the story follows throughout manage to sneak on board the ark with one of the chinese workers, whilst a rich Russian business tycoon fell to his death.
Overall, both entertaining and slightly depressing! I wondered what would happen to me if the world ended like it does in 2012 and quickly came to the conclusion that I'd probably be dead and wouldn't have even got further than my front door, never mind China. Good acting and plenty of CGI thrill rides to keep the momentum going as Los Angeles collapses and the Yellowstone caldera erupts, but I felt it took a little too long for the action to unfold.
