gargantuan disaster

Rating: 6/10 (16 April 2010)

The biggest single problem with 2012 is the length. It's butt-numbing runtime saps the soul as much if not more than the tired excuses for characters the film inflicts its carnage on. And because it goes on so long the unfolding disaster, shots of tsunamis; earthquakes et al become increasingly repetitive and the very small but eminently predictable plot twists barely register as surprising or important given the film's grander scheme. The leaps in logic are too big and the reality-stretching scenarios seriously beggar belief far too many times. To outrun one disaster is entertaining, but to outrun 3 in one day seems just plain silly - even in Hollywood's no holds barred world of the disaster movie. There's no dialogue to speak of (how apt!) and the cannon fodder is dispatched in mighty world-shaking style but after peaking early with the chaos in California the film has nowhere left to go, no higher gear so the end finale seems little more than a damp squib. Thos are 3 hours of my life i'm unfortunately not going to get back.