2012: Fun Ride Through Readjustment of the Earth's Crust

Billed as the end of the world, '2012' is an epic example of what could happen if the sun's solar activity one day microwaves the Earth's insides.  It is not the true end of the world. The wording in the film is "end of the world as we know it" (hey, wasn't that the song from "Independence Day"?).  'Knowing' still has the franchise on the destruction of Earth.  But, that movie wasn't so hot (forgive the pun).  The digital effects, well-formatted screenplay, and lively set of actors in '2012' did make it worth the 2 1/2 hours of sitting. At least, I thought so.  My rating:  $8.00 (1.-10.). 

Obviously, unless you live under a media-less rock, you have heard something about the ancient Mayans and their theories on the end of the world.  The religious sects refer to it as the apocalypse -- which is supposed to happen after the 'rapture', by the way, not just any old way.  Nostradamus somehow figures into these theories, too.  The year 2012 is now the year to fear, kind of like 2000 was when all societies were to collapse at the change of centuries.  I really hope not.  Otherwise, I won't get to go to the 2016 Olympics in Rio where my son has promised to take me. 

John Cusack plays Jackson Curtis, the writer of a brilliant science fiction book about the end of the world that sold fewer than 500 copies.  This information tends to be an interesting fact we learn over time but is never fully developed.  I mean, it's info to reach an end in the movie -- a convenience only.  He drives a limo for a rich Russian, Yuri Karpov (Croatian-born Zlatko Buric, 56), who is a big, bear of a man you will recognize as an 'enforcer'-type in some other films.  Curtis, we find early on, drives a limo because he's totally depressed about losing his wife and kids to his writing obsession.  Also, he is too depressed about his life to get out of his rut.  "I'm hurtling toward you as we speak" -- his line to everyone when he's late, which he always is.  He's late picking up the kids he loves for a long-awaited camping trip because he overslept.  Yep, depression.

Amanda Peet (who played Cusack's love interest in "The Martian Child") plays ex-wife, Kate.  Kate lives with successful and charismatic (so says the script) Gordon Silberman (cute but goofy Thomas McCarthy - "Baby Mama"/"Duplicity").  McCarthy's character turns out to be a good guy but there's no chemistry like the scenes with Cusack.  Maybe that was on purpose, not sure.  His goofiness helps the humor within the disaster.  Liam James (13 years) and Morgan Lilly (9 years) play kids Noah and Lily.  Nothing not to like about these kids -- just enough personality and minimal misbehavior.

Woody Harrelson plays another wild-haired conspiracy theorist who lives in a camper in the woods and broadcasts his propaganda to the airwaves.  Like the tabloids in "Men in Black" that turn out to be true, such is Charlie Frost.  Harrelson commands a screen.  Cusack's understated terror worked well in their scenes together.

Emerging star, Chiwetel Ejiofor ("Endgame"/"Red Belt"/"American Gangster"), is well-spoken, believable, likeable, and good looking.  I like to watch him on screen.  Therefore, I predict a bright future for him.  Either he's going to be so famous we finally can remember his name or he'll it to something we can remember.  Ejiofor has the biggest spot after Cusack as the government geologist, Dr. Adrian Helmsley,  who directs all efforts to save mankind.  (Like Dennis Quaid in "Day After Tomorrow").  Lovely and fragile-appearing Thandie Newton plays Dr. Laura Wilson, the daughter of U.S. President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover).  She's an art specialist or such who is put in charge of rescuing priceless works of art from destruction.  Glover makes a good president.  His part isn't so big, if you catch my drift (sorry, not trying for water puns!). 

Predictable Oliver Platt, plays the President's advisor, Carl Anheuser, who is really running all the preparations to save mankind.  The script makes him practical and efficient but falls back on Platt's tendency to be an a-- (do I dare say -- in the end?).  Large twins with bad hair, Alexandre and Philippe Haussmann, are the spoiled kids of the Russian billionaire.  Gorgeous 32-year-old Johann Urb plays Russian bodyguard. Sasha (is now with a nice American accent on TV's 'Eastwick').  Urb should have more screen time -- his acting is coming along and he's, well, GORGEOUS.  If he can escape the tendency to make a career only of his looks, he will make some Hollywood money. 

Blonde cutie, Beatrice Rosen (French-born but sounded like her Russian accent was more American-Russian) plays Yuri's mistress/arm-candy. She got a perfect part for herself and played it well.  British-born, Jimi Mistry, plays the scientist from India who actually discovers the world's inner turmoil.  He gets short shrifted with a couple of scenes only in the beginning.  He gets one more short and semi-heartwrenching scene near the end.  Too bad, really.  There's a nice interjection of Blu Mankuma as Harry, Adrian's dad, and George Segal as Tony, a couple of lounge singers booked on a cruise ship job.  It allows us to see what happens on the high seas as well as some more tearful scenes later on. 

So you can see all the facets of the movie that make it exciting and longer than usual.  The story builds nicely from normal to disaster. The Washington guys all have agendas.  Cusack and family try rush about to save themselves.  The Russian guy finds that walking all over people to get rich comes back to bite him.  I liked the build up of suspense.  Curtis finds out there's something wrong by overhearing subtle pieces of conversation as well as his own sci-fi smarts.  The book he wrote gets used for inspiration and becomes a legacy for mankind.  The race to save his family is some of the best digital effects in a long time.  Sometimes it seems too manipulated, but I didn't mind.  It was fun.  As the world's fate evolves, it happens in stages.  This allows us to see multiple times over  the people we have met onscreen handle their separate disasters.  Sure, there's humor and sadness.  None of it is terribly severe.  I likened it to "Independence Day" on the scope of the story.  The ultimate world solution/ending was a little less exciting than I'd have liked.  But it was enough. 

It's funny that after I had the feeling this movie was like "Independence Day" and "Day After Tomorrow", I discovered the co-writer and director of "2012', Roland Emmerich, also wrote, directed and produced these very same movies!!  Emmerich has a resume rivaling James Cameron only he's not as boastful as Cameron.  Emmerich also had part in bringing us "Stargate", "The Patriot", "Godzilla", "The Thirteenth Floor", and "Eight Legged Freaks".  I LOVED these movies.  I own "ID" and "D.A.T" watching them over and over.  Prodigious film and TV composer, Harald Kloser, co-wrote this screenplay and "10,000 BC" with Emmerich.  It's rated 'PG-13'.  Nothing in it to prevent kids from seeing it.  The disasters are huge and entertaining more than terribly scary.  The loss of millions of lives is tragic but not made overbearing.  And the 151 or more minute run time would be WITH credits.  It was just under 2 1/2 hours not including trailers and if you leave at the last scene.  It is a fun movie adventure with no boring downtime -- at least for me.  Worth seeing. 

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