2012 - Review

Vidit Bhargava

Cast: John Cusaak, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, and much more!

Rating: ** 1/2 (Average)

Another one, I missed last year! This time our school said they'd show us the movie. Yeah, they promised us to show it in December, we're getting to watch it in February! but I'm not very disappointed as this wasn't a movie I was looking forward to (Thanks to the bashing reviews). Our Audi. is good for plays and stuff, but the movie bit... we got a half a size screen and that too there were black bars! Well at least I managed to watch the full movie even if I couldn't hear it very clearly (thanks to the sound quality).

Coming to the movie, they start in 2009 where Satnam Tsurtuani (Small role by Jimi Mistry) in India's at an underground copper mine, tells his friend from USA about some solar flare thing and neutrinos. Which means that the core of the earth is melting, making the Earth's Crust unstable (this was explained well with a bizzare animation than those two conversing), The US friend of his, tells someone from the White House Chief of Staff. Shift to 2012 Everybody is worried about these massive earthquakes. They don't know what is happening, only a few US people know what to do... Go to China! where there plan executes in saving "Some people" before the world ends and of course as the Mayans predicted Earth is coming to an end in 2012! Now, there is one family they mainly focus on, the one of Jack Curtis. They know what to do and are going to China! I think, I am not telling everything about this movie very well (so many things happening, you know!), you may refer to the wikipedia plot for everything in detail!

By the way, we saw some part of India as well! Something I hadn't predicted and there was a large tsunami that hit the Indian shore then, also a lot of parts, apparently when they were telling the time and place, were written on the screen in Mayan language, and when they reach China, those Chinese people start speaking their own language, that was realistic but at the same time irritating with no subtitles.

Coming to performance of the movie, The action and special effects bit is done well, full marks there. The massive volcano eruption and then the earth splitting scenes, they're good. Also the movie makes an impact on the minds of the people and it was after all made for a good cause.

Apart from that, there is hardly anything you'll find much interesting, the movie begins well but after the opening credits, when it actually starts in 2012, it gets boring. In the middle, there are action packed special effects scenes which excite you but then they switch to the emotional mood (a real attyachaar!), which fails completely. Neither did I feel sympathy for the US president dyeing or nor did I feel bad 'bout the emotional talks the characters did with their fathers. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the movie is dedicated to it.

Also not to forget the extremely predictable plot. You won't be scared when the count down of the impact finishes, you know somewhere that they'll survive the impact. You tend to foresee that the rich are going to board the impact saving mechanism and some human rights person will prevent them to do so!

The movie is 2 and a half hours long but it seems to take a lifetime to reach the climax, I was almost waiting for it. Somehow the critics got right on this one. I would have given it 2 stars but for some reason I feel it should be watched as it's at least an attempt to make an environment movie, not a gr8 one though!