Hysterically bad

Rating: 4/10 (14 November 2013)

2012 is undoubtedly Roland Emmerich's worst ever film, worse indeed than 10,000 BC. It's an outrageously bad movie, a bloated and laugh-filled variant of those late '90s disaster movies that proved popular for a time (DEEP IMPACT, VOLCANO, etc.) Clearly a labour of love for the director, who wrote as well as directed, I'm frankly incredulous over the huge amounts of money spent on this movie's production costs.
The plot, in essence, sees the Mayan prediction of the end of the world in 2012 come true. Yes, it's already dated, and yes, it leads to the same old disaster movie guff. Danny Glover's the shoe-in for Obama here, while the likes of Oliver Platt fill suits and Woody Harrelson frankly embarrasses himself as a conspiracy nut. Thandie Newton reminds you of why she hasn't been seen on screen since MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2; she's simply a not very good actress.
Best of all is the sub-plot involving John Cusack and his whiny/bratty kids. Cusack is like Road Runner in this movie, outrunning various disaster scenarios over and over again, until I lost count. He outdrives earthquakes, outflies volcanic eruptions, the list goes on. The special effects are admittedly spectacular - and the only reason to keep watching, I have to say - but the repetitive nature of watching Cusack escape from the brink time and again really shows off Emmerich's lack of creativity. Why not employ some help, somebody to use their imagination instead of simply repeating stuff over and over? Only in Hollywood!