By now, we are all used to Roland Emmerich’s disaster films. After Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow, there really is nothing the director can do to surprise us anymore. Perhaps he has realized this and decided that with 2012 he would do what he always does, only bigger. If that was Emmerich’s goal, he has certainly succeeded. Every action movie cliche is present in this film. We get tidal waves, and volcanoes, and the destruction of nearly every recognizable landmark the world over. This film is exciting, and it delivers everything the trailers promise us, but nothing more.
By now, we are all used to Roland Emmerich’s disaster films. After Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow, there really is nothing the director can do to surprise us anymore. Perhaps he has realized this and decided that with 2012 he would do what he always does, only bigger. If that was Emmerich’s goal, he has certainly succeeded. Every action movie cliche is present in this film. We get tidal waves, and volcanoes, and the destruction of nearly every recognizable landmark the world over. This film is exciting, and it delivers everything the trailers promise us, but nothing more.
2012 follows the same basic outline as Roland Emmerich’s previous films. This is not a complaint, though. These movies are always well paced. We get 30 to 40 minutes of ominous build up as scientists start to notice strange events and the government is notified. We meet the central characters and watch them deal with small scale disasters just to provide a taste of things to come. Finally, once everything is set in place, there are two straight hours of scenes of incredible destruction as those same characters fight to stay alive. It still proves to be entertaining, though at this point, you will know which characters will make it and which won’t as soon as they are introduced.
This time around, the main character we follow is Jackson Curtis, an unsuccessful author played by John Cusack. His books never achieve commercial success, and his devotion to his work caused his wife to leave him and take their kids with her. He makes his money working as a limo driver for people much more successful than he is. Through chance encounters, random conversations with conspiracy theorists and scientists, and a little critical thinking, Curtis is able to figure out that the world is on the brink of an apocalyptic series of disasters. It is up to him to try and get his estranged wife and children to safety while simultaneously trying to win back their love and respect.
The journey is a mad race against time as the family travels by car and plane searching for the location of rumored government escape ships. There are two vehicular stunts that are repeated several times over the course of the film. One allows Curtis to show off the skills he must have picked up as a professional driver. As the ground cracks and crumbles around the family’s car, a giant fissure begins to form ahead of them. Curtis is able to gun the engine, hit a bump, and cause the car to leap over the gap. The other stunt is similar, but involves a plane instead of a car. As the pilot attempts to take off, the runway crumbles around him. It seems the plane will not get up to speed as it reaches the end of the runway. Fortunately, the necessary speed is achieved just as the nose of the plane tips over the end of the runway and the pilot is able to pull out of the momentary nosedive. We have seen both of these stunts many times in movies such as this before. We see them again about four times each in this film.
If you are looking for something new and compelling, look elsewhere. 2012 provides nothing even remotely original. If, however, you are just looking to have fun with a bigger, badder version of the same old disaster formula, this one is for you. Though predictable and repetitive, the film is undeniably entertaining. It is exciting enough that even though it clocks in at nearly 2 hours and 40 minutes, it never for a moment feels too long or slow. As far as I am concerned, that makes 2012 a success. I just don’t want to see another disaster movie for a few years.
