A pretty acceptable big budget behemoth.

Rating: 7/10 (16 November 2009)

Of all of Roland Emmerich's bug budget disaster pics, this one takes the cake, or planet actually. It may be one of the most expensive, but it's one of the most action packed films of the year.
In case you never watched the trailers, or TV in general, it follows the ancient Mayan prediction that our world gets destroyed on 12/21/2012, described as a cause of solar flares, increasing the temperature of Earth's core and causing worldwide crust displacement. It is actually discovered 3 years early by Dr. Adrian Helmsley(Chitwetel Ejiofor) and soon the government begins building ships meant to withstand the effects of 2012, but tickets to these arks are $1 billion, each. Then, inevitably, the disasters happen. The earthquakes and super volcanoes and tsunamis, oh my! In the midst of this is Jackson Curtis(John Cusack), a failed writer turned limo driver who stumbles upon the impending disaster by mere chance. Driving like a madman, he treks to L.A. to rescue his ex-wife Kate(Amanda Peet), kids Noah(Liam James) and Lily(Morgan Lily), and Kate's boyfriend Gordon(Thomas McCarthy). We see they're daring escape in a spectacular 7-8 minute special effects feast and after that, they decide it's off to the Himalayas, to where the ships are located. Many more disasters ensue.
The best part of 2012 is the most obvious: its effects. In my personal opinion, this is the best effects Ememrich has given to the world. The best of this is shown in the L.A. Escape scene in which our hero and his family outrun a gigantic quake in a limo and in a private plane, they dodge subway trains and towering skyscrapers. This film has a definite nom for the Best Effects Oscar, and may even be good enough for the win. And Emmerich knows star power. Aside from Cusack, Platt, and Ejiofor, the A-grade cast also includes Woody Harrelson(as comic relief conspiracy theorist/nut case Charlie Frost), Thandie Newton(as the president's daughter), and Danny Glover as the president of the U.S..
It's faults are easily identified though. The script is atrocious and very familiar, at its peak in a scene where Ejiofor's character gives a 2-minute swan song speech telling everyone to stand together. It's also incredibly long, clocking in at over 2 and a half hours. They didn't even really need most of the first hour.
But overall this was actually a good piece of Emmerich's film-making. It's brilliant cast and mind-blowing effects almost completely make me forgive Roland for 10,000 B.C. and Godzilla. But he still needs to hire a good writer for once.
7 out of 10