Tuesday, September 28, 2010

“2012”

What is it with Roland Emmerich’s doomsday obsession? After “Independence Day,” where aliens try to destroy civilization, and “The Day After Tomorrow,” where climate change gets a crack, he looks to the Mayan calendar to predict and entertain us with the end of the world. (Which, I hope you know by now, is an inaccurate interpretation. So keep saving for your retirement.) In true Emmerich fashion, there are lots of explosions and crazy huge special effects. There's a good deal of sermonizing about “Humanity” and “Civilization,” especially at those pivotal moments. And then there are the laughs, unintentional of course, as all mayhem breaks loose. I just found it preposterous how John Cusack, who's been making some curious role choices of late, manages to narrowly escape death by running, driving and flying while the earth is crumbling, buildings are falling and fireballs are exploding. And you don’t have to be a clairvoyant to see how it ends. You know exactly how “2012” is going, with the exception of a neat twist that allows our heroes to reach China despite the fact that they’ve run out of fuel. So If you can switch off the logic center of your brain “2012” is a moderately enjoyable popcorn movie. But even among Emmerich's catalog, it’s not one of the best. My tweet: 2012-After failing to destroy earth by alien invasion & ice age, Roland Emmerich looks to the Mayans for ideas. 3rd time's not the charm. 5 (out of 10).

Another end-of-the-world movie you might enjoy: “Knowing”

“2012”

Released: 2009

Rating: PG-13

Length: 158 minutes

Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson

Director: Roland Emmerich

Genre(s): Action, Sci-fi, Thriller