CINEMA: 2012

Nov 22, 2009

Written by: Dee Pilgrim

From an Old Testament point of view, the only plagues and pestilences missing from Roland Emmerich’s latest hugely expensive disaster flick are swarms of voracious locusts and tempests of Biblical proportions.

But had he had enough time he would surely have squeezed them in too in this overly-long, over-hyped monster.

John Cusack stars in 2012

It’s not that it’s not fun because let’s face it, watching LA getting decimated and Yellowstone National Park being engulfed in brimstone and fireballs is really entertaining, it’s just all the stuff in between sucks.

The film’s basic premise is that the ancient Mayans were right and the world as we know it is going to end in destruction in 2012. While scientist Adrian Helmsmen (Chiwetel Ejiofor) jets around the globe gathering data on the imminent disaster for the American president (Danny Glover), down on his luck writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is taking his children for a vacation in Yellowstone. It’s here he meets the somewhat demented Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson on the same great form he displayed in Zombieland) who explains the world’s about to self-destruct in spectacular fashion. Now Jackson needs to get the kids back to his estranged wife (Amanda Peet) and convince her it is time to get out of town pronto.

All this takes an age to set up and the first 30 minutes of the film are not that engaging, but then the fireworks kick off and it is time to just sit back for the ride of your life because Emmerich throws everything (literally) at the screen. Buildings crumble, planes fly under collapsing bridges, half of LA slides into the sea, Yellowstone becomes one massive super volcano – and all this before the tsunami even gets a head of steam.

It’s all fabulously atmospheric and exciting, but then there’s a pause in proceedings while we get another talky sequence to push on the narrative before the action scenes reappear.

This kind of stop/start rhythm is rather frustrating, but the special effects truly are mind-bogglingly good and if you want plenty of big bangs for your bucks 2012 certainly delivers.

Author: Dee Pilgrim

Dee always knew she wanted to make her living from writing and so trained as a journalist before working for a variety of music and women’s titles including Sounds, Company, Cosmopolitan, Ms London, New Woman, and Girl About Town. After going freelance she concentrated on celebrity interviews and film, theatre, music and restaurant reviews. Her love of film goes back to her very first cinema experience at the age of five when her mother took her to see Bambi. She cried. At one time she was the Film Editor for NOW magazine and also the secretary for the film section of the Critics’ Circle and the celebrity coordinator for its annual film awards’ event. She has written a number of books for teenagers through Trotman Publishing, including five Real Life Guides to vocational careers (including Carpentry, Plumbing and Catering), and also three books on Real Life Issues (Money, Bereavement and Self Harm). Her favourite film is still Bladerunner.