First, the Mayan calendar predicted it...Now, science has confirmed it...but we never imagined it could really happen.

Genre: Action/Thriller/Sci-Fi
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Liam James, Lily Morgan, Woody Harrelson
RunTime: 2 hrs 37 mins
Released By: Columbia TriStar
Rating: PG (Intense Sequences And Some Disturbing Scenes)
Official Website: http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/

Opening Day: 12 November 2009

Synopsis:

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Movie Review:

Michael Caine’s character in the 2006’s movie, The Prestige said, "Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts".

Well if we applied this quote to Roland Emmerich’s "2012", it should read something like this: The first act is called The Pledge. Emmerich shows you several human characters ranging from brilliant scientists (Chiwetel Ejiofor as a scientist advisor to the White House) to the government (Danny Glover as President and Oliver Platt as evil politician) to everyday people (John Cusack, a failed Sci-fi writer with ex-wife Amanda Peet with two kids and her boyfriend in tow) for example. Then he proceeds to come up with some mumbo-jumbo about geological malfunctioning, the Maya prediction about the world coming to an end and so on. You know something big is going to happen but what is it? Of course, he is not revealing just yet. The second act is called The Turn. Emmerich gives you the moment you have been waiting it for. The result is devastating and how on earth is this group of people going to escape the ordeal. This leaves the third and final act which is also the hardest of all called The Prestige. Because destroying the whole world isn’t enough, you need to justify and satisfy the audience’s cravings to know more after 157 minutes of running time.

Of course, Emmerich is not well-known for its sensitivity, subtlety or story-telling. The man is known for his calculated skills in the blockbuster, popcorn munching arena. Emmerich channels the energy from past masters such as Cecil B. DeMille and Irwin Allen to bring you what should be the biggest, size matters’ disaster movie of all time. Remember his break-through movie, "Independence Day"? Massive destructions caused by Alien’s invasion in United States. "Godzilla?" A gigantic lizard-like creature rampaged across Manhattan. And in "The Day After Tomorrow", the effects of global warming causes hail storm, tornadoes and tidal wave. Take these 3 movies apart, dissect it and you find everything in 2012 just perhaps ten times better technically speaking.

The special and visual effects contributed by a number of effects houses such as Sony Imageworks, Digital Domain, Double Negative to name a few are mostly faultless. The crazy scene featuring Cusack’s character and his family escaping LA in a limousine while the earth crumbles and building collapses around them serve as the main highlight of the movie and the justification of why you paid over $9 for the admit ticket. It goes to show why Emmerich is still the master of all modern-day disaster movies. If this is not enough, the characters proceed on to escape in a rundown RV, private jet, cargo plane and to a stunning Supership!

To Emmerich and his writing-producing partner Harald Kloser’s credit, the movie is not totally devoid of emotion and well-intent messages. As absurd as it sounds, in reality if the world were to come to an end one day, I suppose only the rich and famous will manage to find their way out of this mess as portrayed in the movie. I love the argument between Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) towards the end. Is it morally wrong to abandon the rest of the surviving humans or will it be a betrayal of humanity? You can purchase a million dollar ticket if you are as rich as the Russian billionaire with his playmate and children. If not, you can fight your way out of this as what Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and Tenzin (yes our local actor Ng Chin Han) did. Despite the whole focus on the effects spectacle, "2012" is filled with memorable characters including an extended cameo by Woody Harrelson as Charlie Frost, a wildly enthusiastic environmentalist of sort who believed in the Mayan’s prediction.

There are some obvious jibes at the government including the current Governor of California, the destruction of the White House (for the second time if you remember "Independence Day"), a certain Washington’s monument and a surprise attempt in highlighting China as a technological powerhouse. But sadly, the last act is a feeble, predictable attempt to pull The Prestige. But then again, disaster movies are never that original to begin with, its sole aim is to entertain and "2012" has successfully done so. In addition, American Idol’s Adam Lambert "Time For Miracles" is a fitting end to it.

A word of advice: Just don’t go around asking why CNN and handphones still work when the whole world is collapsing.

Movie Rating:



(In terms of visual spectacle, 2012 tops the richter scale!)

Review by Linus Tee