2+ hours of over-hyped mediocrity

Rating: 5/10 (20 February 2010)

Running at over two hours, there is only one exception to a long film: the film has to be GREAT. This film, is not so great, therefore its extensive length also makes it tedious and redundant after the first half. This film is neither good nor bad. It doesn't hold on very long, but it doesn't let go too soon.
PRO: Jackson Curtis and his family are highly enjoyable, and the little girl definitely steals the spotlight. The casting choice is pretty decent too, I enjoyed Cusack's performance, and a few of the other cast members shined on the spotlight. Also, the special effects are stunning. The disasters are phenomenal albeit completely done in CG. If you have seen the trailer, then you know how great the film looks with its high-budget effects. Although...
CON: ...if you have seen the trailer, you have basically seen the entire film. Again, I can't stress enough at the film's length. What this film does well is disasters, what it doesn't do well is plot, development, dialogue, and a few other minor let-downs that dilute the overall quality of the film. While the effects are great, you can only watch and enjoy it for so long within a 2+ hour film. You notice the film slowly starts to become redundant, and the WOW factor quickly wears out to a point where you simply don't care very much.
OVERALL: I think the film had a great thing going. It started off as a highly enjoyable apocalyptic thriller with a great cast, but with its lengthy/redundant premise it slowly drains out the fun factor and leaves you anxiously waiting for the film to end. It's unfortunate that with all this hype, the film turned out to be nothing more than another mediocre Hollywood blockbuster. That is why I gave the film an average score of 5/10.