Like a punch in the face! And a very smart movie for the ones who understand it.

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2009)

I've read these comments with attention and saw this movie yesterday. And I think everyone here get it wrong. It is sad to see that most people have not seen the amazing message hidden behind all the CGI and Special FX.
Yes Emmerich has done a great classic with all the ingredients for a success: simple story, presentation of the characters, explanation of the phenomenon, and then the catastrophic events and how the characters are going to escape and finally an happy end. Your bag of popcorn is empty and you come back home with the feeling you spent 10 bucks and got for your money in the face.
Now this movie is also like Indiocracy a very intelligent movie behind the visual. Let me explain why:
1- Roland Emerich know that 90% of his audience is brainless and will explain all the scientific justification with a little cartoon that even a 10 year old kid will understand. It clearly shows that the director knows exactly what he does and who is watching. This guy is a mad scientist, this guy is the president, this guy is... every symbol is simple enough so you can check your Text messages while watching the movie and still follow the story...that's for the dumb guys.
BUT
2- The US president is very different than in these kind of movies. He is not an Hero, he is just a modest black man who his not going (thanks god!) to make an endless speech about how great America is. He has empathy, There is no real bad guys in this movie, they are just more inhuman and realistic about the situation, like all the bankers we see everyday in the news... But in this movie there are no really caricature of a bad guy who does not understand what is happening ...
3- There are a lot of symbols that are destroyed in this movie. No one have understood the aircraft carrier smashing the white house symbol? The Vatican is destroyed why not a Mosque or a Boudha temple? And some strong biblical symbols too, I let you find them.
4- who is going to save the world? I don't want to spoil the movie, but at NO time it is said that it is America. In fact, almost all the countries together are working to that, the US president is always respectful of the international community, explain to the NATO and decisions are not made in the White House only, and we are far away from "The Day after" and these movies where only America is saved in a patriotic boring hymn. Not in that movie.
5- There is a huge symbol with the people who make the ships and the healthy 1% who paid their ticket to survive. This is not a random stupid idea, it is nothing else than another Emmerich strong political message. Think about what did happened this year and transpose... Something is melting down right now and that's not the Earth...
6- at the end, replace the words of the hero about opening the gates with a call to the humanity that has a much broader meaning than most stupid movies. Emmerich had something to say to the world of a biblical proportion and he does it strongly and powerfully in this movie...
I think most people will understand the real Emmerich message when the DVD will be out there. This movie is an incredible spectacular movie, but it delivers a true message. The real meltdown is a financial meltdown and a meltdown of our values and culture...
There is not bad military guy in this movie, no good hero who save the world. Just a bunch of healthy paying their tickets, while the Indians who discovered everything and Chinese who made it possible to escape are dying...
That's not just random... Thanks Roland Emmerich for having hidden this deep message behind this blockbuster full of special FX. You have successfully spent 250 Millions of $ to deliver a very powerful message to the world, that will I'm sure with time be understood... this movie as an historic milestone and a mirror of what did happened in October 2009.
Hollywood always follow our history someway or another... In this movie Roland Emmerich brightly destroys all the symbols of greedy America, Washington, Christianity and the savers are the international community, the NATO, Chinese and Indians and Buddhists... Who said this movie is another stupid Hollywood movie?
Now go watch the movie with another perspective...