Foreseen Devastation in typical Emmerich style

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2009)

The Mayans predicted the advent of apocalypse in year 2012 and Ronald Emmerich shows us its preview in the dramatic Earth shattering extravaganza of a film that leaves little to fate, heroism, belief and humanity. After all, when the supremo of obliteration ('Independence Day', 'Godzilla', 'Day after tomorrow') decides to showcase the very end, you know the destruction will be ruthlessly spectacular!
The adroitness of Emmerich in selecting a subject and showcasing what chaos it is capable of in its glorified moment is what sends the box office ringing. The rest, quite frankly, is either painstakingly dramatic or naively cheesy. He was never acclaimed for substance or depth in his films but always for the special effects and the destruction of several cities at a time. Such is the case with 2012, which brings the myth of the Mayans to reality with a combination of cataclysmic stellar activity to obliterate our world on a foreseen judgement day. Yes, the result is nothing short of spectacular. The Earth shattering and ground breaking sequences in California are breathtaking and so are those with the explosions of a violent Earth in Yellow Stone National Park. Vegas gets lost in the dark with Earth falling below but we could've expected more out of the 'strip' fallout.
The most stunning bit though is the entire part in Tibet. As seen in the previews, gigantic waves have some stunning effect when they attempt to overcome the roof of the world while mankind's only hope of continuity rests in these lands. It may not be a very convincing end. In fact, the movie's premise itself may not be convincing at all but that is clearly not Ronald Emmerich's forte. He is concerned with mass devastation and we are supposed to enjoy that ride. Not the excessive drama associated with John Cusack's struggle with his ex-wife, children, ex-wife's boyfriend and his pathetic life. If that wasn't enough, we have Morgan Freeman and Thandie Newton in a Presidential melodrama that drags longer than Sarah Palin's election campaign. Yes, a human aspect is required in a catastrophe movie but the excess length of the movie caused by the drama could well be the downfall of '2012'.
Perhaps an interesting perspective on the scientific background of the calamity, preparation of several countries for the apocalypse, approaches of different cultures and then the dramatic human aspect of a handful of families in different parts of the world could've been more convincing. Nevertheless, Ronald Emmerich manages to put enough destruction in the upcoming apocalypse foreseen by the Mayans for some explosive entertainment.

8.2012 on a scale of 1-10.