The best film I've seen in a long, long time

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2009)

WARNING!!! This review is split into two sections: ONE CONTAINS SPOILERS for those who have viewed it AND ONE DOES NOT FOR PROSPECTIVE VIEWERS.
YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED :: NON-SPOILER VERSION FOLLOWS
Emotional, stimulating, and surprising; this movie was worth every penny. This is no typical disaster movie. There is realistic and epic trauma and unexpected turns that make this movie a powerful, heart-tugging experience to watch. You cant predict anything until it happens. It constantly surprised me and kept me on the edge of my chair. (I jumped several times too and got laughed at but oh well different story ^_^) The profound element of surprise it possesses makes it a constant emotional roller coaster that leaves you thinking long after the movie is over. It has the right balance of action in it to keep it visually and mentally engaging and the effects are just stunning. It is the best movie I have seen in years. Just keep in mind that this movie is highly spiritual in nature (especially the end), and has disturbing scenes; some resulting in epic trauma sequences, this movie is not for the faint (or young) of heart. But really, watch this movie. The critiques are wrong, It is amazing and full of meaning. It teaches that you should love and appreciate every day and every person in your life; and that while some things perish, some are constant and timeless.
SPOILER EDITION :) Stop looking now and go away. You must watch it first
The world is cataclysmically and irrecoverably engulfed in flames as billions perish and die, A graphic plane crash sucks you into the scene while you watch people burning and listen to the ambient screams, a subway bus derails and, well, ends epically. This movie is poignant, mentally and spiritually engaging and emotional from the very start. It follows the personal struggles of each main character to the very bitter-sweet end of the world and humanity. And what is so gut-wrenching is that in your standard "Save the world" movie, there is always a solution and everything works out fine, usually with a few complications or deaths. Some of the most overrated movies adhere to this style. But in this one, there is nothing John can do; nobody would believe his theory and the end of the world is imminent. It teaches important lessons of love and appreciation of life, as some things are not constant whereas others are timeless. The death of Caleb's mom was a turn in the movie I did not expect at all. The wreck was so intense and realistic it left me emotionally drained. But my mom did die in a car accident, so it could be a personal thing. And the ending was a little creepy, but its a believable science fiction movie. It takes biblical concepts about the second coming, revelations, and genesis and applies them realistically on a modern scale and its just..amazing as a movie. The bible says the world shall end in fire; and so it did. The only thing that would have made it perfect was the edition of thematic music (where a certain scene or idea is represented by a certain melody - in terms of musical scores. Picture harry potter or the lord of the rings). That would have added a sense of nostalgia that was somewhat lacking in the end. But look past the critique in me. Great movie.