The very definition of dumb fun

Rating: 5/10 (15 November 2009)

Based on Roland Emmerich's previous disaster films, I was expecting nothing more than a campy, yet occasionally fun, and visually stunning experience, upon going into 2012. And wouldn't you know it, Emmerich came through, unintentionally delivering one of the best comedies of the year.
As expected, the visual effects in 2012 are absolutely stunning, with the first major sequence - ironically - being the most memorable one. Due to the stupidity of many of the characters actions, however, that sense of awe is somewhat diminished. Also, I think the reason why I found the first destructive sequence to be the most spectacular is because all of the ones that follow are essentially repeats of that: Mother nature throws literally everything she's got at us, we just barely manage to escape, then land at a safe zone for a brief period of time.
The acting in this film, surprisingly, isn't half bad. While both John Cusack's and Chiwetel Ejiofor's characters are boring, to say the least, they still manage to come across as relatively likable. Oliver Platt also does a fine job, delivering what are easily some of the best lines in the film. It seems like Woody Harrelson is the only one who understands what kind of movie he's in, and as a result, makes the most of his short performance.
2012 really is one cheesy, melodramatic, cliché-ridden piece of cinema, but personally, that's where I found the film to be rather funny. Those who are only searching for sheer spectacle should not feel cheated by paying to see this in a theater, as 2012 is also the very definition of dumb fun.