Review: 2012 - A disaster of a movie (SPOILERS WITHIN!)

[PTeppic]

Just got back from it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Okay, it was cliche heaven. It was also disaster movie bingo: driving away from earthquake; driving away from volcano, flying away from volcano, huge ships turning over and so on and so on (it's probably worth a drinking game as a minimum...).

On a grand scale? Not too bad: some pseudo-science explained at suitably fast pace, interspersed with rescue plans at international level dotted with a couple of keeping-it-real ordinary folk on the ground. Plenty of humour, action, suspense, romance, etc. I'm a sufficiently happy watcher I might even get the DVD. Maybe.

[Omphalos]

Heh. As soon as I heard the one of the characters say "the nutrinos have mutated," or somesuch I just turned my ears and brain off and enjoyed the ride.

The best part of the movie was the Avatar trailer at the beginning (oh, and watching L.A. slide into the Pacific. That part was worth the price of admission). I had grown tired of the hype surrounding that movie, but that tralier was awesome.

[worldmaker]

Originally Posted by Omphalos

The best part of the movie was the Avatar trailer at the beginning (oh, and watching L.A. slide into the Pacific. That part was worth the price of admission). I had grown tired of the hype surrounding that movie, but that tralier was awesome.

I have a very nasty feeling that the trailer is the only awesome part of Avatar.

Prepare for a whole new dimension of cliches?

[rojse]

2012 - Excellent special effects depicting absolute trash.

[Interference]

Originally Posted by worldmaker

I'm thinking of my own alternative script... "The Other End Of The World."

Lol

I'd finance that movie

[Moonbat]

It was quite good, in the whole Hollywood Disaster Movie (circa noughties), kind of way. Nay it was very good in the whole Hollywood Disaster Movie (circa noughties) . It had all the elements, and at about 158 minutes it had the time to do it. Ok there were plenty of moments of high implausibility, but I liked a lot of them. some of my favorites:

Driving a limo away from/around cracks in the road.
The plane flying under the tube train that had no tube (or was it just a train)
People hanging off the floors of buildings that had no sides and were falling
Flying past huge sections of land that were just all over the place
the cracking runways that the plane still managed to fly off

Oh, the joys of seeing that kind of movie. The special effects guys must have had a field day when they made some of that.

We had the avatar trailer, but it was suitably vague and very short. The Sherlock Holmes trailer was much more interesting. But hopefully I will get to see Avatar in 3D (my first time) hope it is as good as I'm expecting, almost a sure sign that it wont be, so on that note, I 'spect its not much!

Anyway, if you've got time to waist, and you'd to see how bad your death could be, or even your survival, then watch 2012. I'm serious, imagine being our Hero, having wirtten one very poorly recieved book that somehow made it onto the boat (although they must have digital backups of every major work) and then being an average man that somehow survives along with all the rich and powerful people, then to top it all your stuck with your ex wife! Still, £25 badly spent

[worldmaker]

Originally Posted by Interference

Lol

I'd finance that movie

Thanks, it's a deal, it's got all the billionaires who built their own boats, submarines and airships floating over the world and under the seas as it's destroyed.

It's a comedy.

[jezelf]

*WARNING* spoiler alert! ( ...and a load of opinionated, soap box waffle )

Those ships were so badly designed specifically for a plot device. Poor, very poor.

The cliché and stereotypical world that Emmrich lives in shames great story tellers everywhere. I hate to think if kids growing up see all that as a decent narrative.

Another movie where the rest of the world can't do or solve anything without the US to come up with the idea or action like when they all stand about like lemons waiting for the American team to decide weather to open the door or not as they argue (with stereotypical characters) - they could had got everyone in by the time it took for them to pull their finger out.(yes I know, it wouldn't have 'helped' the story, but it's just shameful story telling )

Also the line of 'it’s a suicide mission!' just made me absent mindedly groan with despair - you'll know what I mean if you've seen the movie. Oh and another dysfunctional family *yawn* which get back together with 'circumstances' conveniently killing of stereotypical characters who don't fit in with a morally correct 'happy' ending *yawn*. I just wish his plot devices were more watertight (har har) than so thin and ridiculous.

Every time I see stuff like that I imagine an exceedingly talented writer somewhere being turned away because their work wont sell to mainstream audiences because they will need to use their brain cells.

On the whole, it is very spectacular visually but style over substance that’s all you ever get from Emmerich though. OK, I know - to be honest I did expect all that, hoping to be proved wrong. I went for the special FX, which is not really want I wanted to see it for. I wanted an engaging story. 'Leave your brain at the door' is not much of an excuse for films for me.

Avatar, look like it's going to be the same - beautiful to look at, lame or a cliché story. I know it can't be too cerebral for the general populous if they want to get their money back. Have yet to see Moon - hear good things of that in a 2001 sort of way so that might balance things out

Still, does make me think I can do better, so helps me from worrying about my own stories too much!

This pretty much sums 2012 up for me

YouTube - From Garrison Dean + io9.com - 2012: It's a Disaster!!!

[Interference]

It says "Spoilers within". You mean within the movie? And would those "spoilers" happen to be the people who wrote, directed, shot, edited, produced and starred in it?

[Daisy-Boo]

Originally Posted by asher marquering

i just wanted to say

yay cape town survives

its my home city if thats a thing

My town too and I second your yay!

[biodroid]

Originally Posted by Daisy-Boo

My town too and I second your yay!

And the Drakensberg!! I just love how they pronounce Kwa-Zulu Natal like Kwa-Zooloo NahTahl. Hehe, my home town!!

[Daisy-Boo]

Originally Posted by biodroid

And the Drakensberg!! I just love how they pronounce Kwa-Zulu Natal like Kwa-Zooloo NahTahl. Hehe, my home town!!

I sniggered so rudely when I heard that line in the movie...Kwa-Zooloo NahTahl.

[blacknorth]

Saw this film this evening.

*also possible spoilers*

Hm. I enjoyed the first 80 minutes or so, simply because I love disaster stories. However, as jezelf stated, then it got bogged down in Emmerich's natural selection process - being that the survival of the fittest relates entirely to their box-office potential.

The latter third of the film rests on a minor plot turn which takes forever to resolve and which becomes utterly tedious as major characters perform stirring speeches and impossible heroics, while minor characters get their comeuppance for not being stars.

I always thought the Mayan prophecy rendered the Earth uninhabitable, else what's the point? I can't say I'm exactly inspired by a world full of oligarchs and their butlers.

Some spectacular action set-pieces raised it just above stinker level. And it was good to find out that George Segal is still going.

[Daisy-Boo]

Originally Posted by blacknorth

And it was good to find out that George Segal is still going.

Yes it was. Pity they didn't give him more screen time. I think his acerbic presence in the White House or on the bridge of that ship would've been a tonic.

[Boneman]

An unsinkable ship? Was there an iceberg in it?