not very memorable

Rating: 4/10 (25 November 2009)

You would think that something as cataclysmic as the end of the world would be memorable (that is if you were to somehow survive it). But I'm sorry to say 2012 is not a movie I'll be discussing for weeks and weeks with my friends and family. That is because mostly its a rehash of recent epic disaster flicks, especially "Titanic", where the question of "how to survive the sinking of a luxury liner" is replaced with "how to survive the sinking of a continent". But I better not go into any further detail without a spoiler alert here.....
Anyway, the movies starts out reasonably well, and there is tension from the start. I think both the senator and Woody Harrelson's character worked quite well. There is trouble brewing beneath the earth, and only geologists and conspiracy freaks have any clue as to what is going on. Not a bad premise for a movie there, but then enter John Cusack and family to contribute the "human element" and things start to go seriously awry. I mean, the world is coming to an end, and do we really want to spend most of the movie experiencing the pain, sadness, loss and heroism of that spectacle through the eyes of this insipid family? And is their harrowing journey to China really an act of heroism, or is it an act of narcissism? Well, its not heroic if you are only out to save yourself. Meanwhile, as city after city crumple all around them, Cusack and son are joined by a host of wealthy people from across the planet who will carry forward mankind's presence on earth. And herein lies the main problem with the movie: There is no personal story nor tragedy amid the ruins and decimated parts of the planet itself. There is only a story of escape from that, and an escape facilitated by wealth. I mean, the wealthy few were never shown to represent mankind at all. There was no formal selection process nor endorsement from the multitudes, no official send off. They just sort of snuck away, figuring no one would be around anyway to mind that they alone, through the power of their wealth, had the means to survive. So this was sort of like a "Titanic" theme only in reverse. Imagine celebrating and cheering on those lucky Titanic passengers who managed to bribe their way onto lifeboats while leaving thousands behind to die?
So, but I don't know if this movie even deserves that much analysis because it just doesn't seem like a whole lot of thought went into it, period. The special effects weren't bad with LA's destruction the hands down winner in that department. But I was actually ready for more, and would have gotten a kick out of seeing NYC go down in similar fashion. But no........we have to take care of the rich people instead, and show the world how important it is that they survive above all else. The fact that the last hour or so of the film contained almost NO scenes from the decimated and destroyed part of the earth was especially bothersome. The vast multitudes had their coffins nailed shut with barely a tear shed. Contrast that to the amount of time spent later on exploring whether or not some fat cat's poochy would be saved, and you get my point. Towards the end, I found myself flashing back to movies like "The Towering Inferno" and "The Poseiden Adventure" as well as "Titanic". In each we had wealthy people surrounded by disaster and tragedy. But only here were those involved IMHO undeserving of any support or emotional connection on my part.
On occasion, though, I did feel moved while watching this spectacle, especially when there were helpless old folks on the telephone from far off places. After all, telephone calls to loved ones is something you could easily imagine taking place during such a crisis. But I did not tear up while watching the contrived and "hearfelt" scenes later on. It could have been compelling - the survival of mankind in a cataclysm such as this is a story worth telling. That this movie succeeded in totally trivializing that experience by making it dependent upon the "heroics" of a ten year old kid and his dad is quite a cinematic blunder.