Yet again Emmerich defines the disaster in disaster movie

Rating: 5/10 (2 March 2010)

Anyone remember when Roland Emmerich was a respected director for entertainment? He has taken epic to a new level and kept his films mainstream and enormously successful. Independence Day, The Patriot, 10,000 BC (I liked it) and now this. How could one possibly expect this film would come out a bigger disaster then the one it portrays? Early trailers had me drooling. Mayan prophecy, worldwide disaster, John Cusack, non-stop action...it was the one time I would go to the movies in the summer of 2009 and not have to wonder if the film would entertain. So imagine my shock when after the first half hour I had rolled my eyes more than eaten popcorn. Any disaster film, or sci-fi flick, or even most films require a suspension of belief but the true mark of a great film maker is to make you belief that you can suspend your belief. Think about it...Emmerich made us BELIEVE that Aliens could invade and that Will Smith could kick their ass, he made us BELIEVE that we were watching early man go through trials and tribulations in a world full of mastodons and beasts of all kinds. 2012...the only think I believed was that this film was a joke, and I wasted my ten bucks.
John Cusack is a terrific actor. He has a screen presence like many aspire to have. He still has the same draw even amongst a horrendous plot. Even someone with any less charisma had been in this role...I probably would have walked out. Amanda Peet can also act. She's had good roles and most of her roles have been in comedy and yet here she is trying to make us believe she is on the run with her family to save her life during the end of the world. It just doesn't work. She isn't strong enough to lead the kind of intensity required for this role. However, her and Cusack have really good chemistry and a great romantic comedy would do them both wonders. Woody Harrelson gives a stand out cameo performance as the eccentric broadcaster Charlie Frost. He is perhaps the one exception to an otherwise shockingly and unfortunately bland cast. Harrelson fans can rest easy. Tom McCarthy gives a decent performance as Peet's new boyfriend and an adversary to Cusack at first before they bond over disaster. He is lucky to do a decent job because he doesn't have a lot of charisma and fortunately his character is a nice guy. The supporting cast is made up of some really talented actors in completely lifeless roles. Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, and Thandie Newton are some of the big names in the film. They're performances can't even be commented on because they are simply boring and never used.
So much has been said about 2012's special effects. All of it is true. The special effects are mind blowing, breath taking, brilliant and this is practically the sole reason this film gets a 5 from me and not a big fat goose egg. The sheer setting of destruction in this film is amazing. I would rather have watched two hours of the world falling to pieces and nothing else than force silly characters into ridiculous situations. For one thing, Cusack's family (his two children, ex-wife and new boyfriend) are literally ALWAYS being followed just steps behind by the end of the world. Imagine that? Every disaster is always right behind them and they ALWAYS escape by milliseconds. One reviewer said it was hard to watch characters surviving through this in the most ridiculous manner and that is exactly true. Nail biting? No it is just silly. And the script is just as ludicrous. The one liners and inappropriate comedic moments, and then on top of that the so called "serious dialogue" is ridiculous and will make you laugh when you should be on the edge of your seat. One of the last lines in the film is a transmission from someone who has discovered land. They say something to the effect of the disaster not being as widespread as they though. It wiped out 99% of the entire earth? That's pretty widespread. Sorry Mr. Emerich but your movie made me hope the end wasn't in 2012 but 2009...when this movie ended. 5/10