Melodramatic movie that is everything it promised to be

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2009)

The end of the world is upon us again and this time humanity's greatest enemy happens to be the sun, the earth's crust, and some tsunami waves that have the power to destroy entire countries. 2012 is the latest mega disaster movie using the best special effects centered upon a melodramatic plot that is everything one expected it to be. While this isn't necessarily bad, it doesn't make a great movie.
Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is another dad struggling to come close to his kids Noah (Liam James), and Lily (Morgan Lily), even though they now live with their mother Kate (Amanda Peet) and her new doctor boyfriend Gordon (Thomas McCarthy). The relationship between Jackson and his estranged family is what one would expect between a father trying to do the right thing and a mother hoping that her ex will at least remember to pick them up when he's supposed to. Jackson himself is a struggling writer whose lack of fame and books sold has only further weakened his already low self esteem.
As if Jackson's problems weren't enough, it turns out that humanity is facing its final days. Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Washington politician Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) discover that the world is going to be destroyed through a series of solar flares and massive weakening of the earth's crust. Helmsley, ever the humanist, sees a chance to try to help everyone while Anheuser sees only the possible diplomatic problems and financial problems that trying to save humanity would bring. They are two sides of the same coin facing a problem that threatens the whole world. The solution, it is hoped, is the construction of a series of massive ships that will contain the best (that is the rich enough to afford a seat) of humanity and remaining animal life. 2012 never explains how such a low number of survivors, especially those who are rich and spoiled, could save humanity, but it works at least for this kind of plot.
2012 follows a predictable plot with scenes of cities being destroyed, floods wiping out entire continents, and massive amounts of CGI death. While impressive on a big screen, the plot itself wears thin half way through. Of course we know that Jackson will reunite with his family and that there will be a spectacular ending that of course will defy all logic. The amount of scientific nonsense during the first half of the movie was enough to make one think that 2012 really should have been a cartoon. The fact that Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser both decided to focus on father trying to redeem himself to his family during the end of the world is less than original. Focusing on the struggles of Dr. Helmsley at least would have given some more intellectual and moral depth to the plot.
Not a bad movie, but 2012 isn't more than one would expect it to be. In reality, the only reason to watch it is because of the CGI and not because of some deep scientific or moral idea. A disaster movie yes, but nothing really more.
7/10