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Amazon.co.uk Review
Now this is how you destroy the world. Roland Emmerich's 2012 pounces on a Nostradamus-style loophole in the Mayan calendar and rams the apocalypse through it, gleefully conjuring up an enormous amount of Saturday-matinee fun in the process. A scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) detects shifting continental plates and sun flares and realizes that this foretells the imminent destruction of the planet. Just as the molten lava is about to hit the fan, a novelist (John Cusack) takes his kids on a trip to Yellowstone; later he'll hook up with his ex (Amanda Peet) and her new boyfriend (Tom McCarthy) in a global journey toward safety. If there is any safety. The suitably hair-raising plot lines are punctuated--frequently, people, frequently--by visions of mayhem around the globe: the Vatican falls over, the White House is clobbered (Emmerich's Independence Day was not enough on that score), and the California coastline dives into the Pacific Ocean. Unlike other action directors we could name, Emmerich actually understands how to let you see and drink in these vast special-effects vistas--and they are incredible. He also honors the old Irwin Allen disaster-movie tradition by actually shelling out for good actors. Cusack and Ejiofor are convincing even in the cheesiest material; toss in Danny Glover (the U.S. president), Woody Harrelson (a nut-bar conspiracy-theorising radio host), Thandie Newton, and Oliver Platt, and you've got a very watchable batch of people. Emmerich hasn't developed an ear for dialogue, even at this stage in his career, and the final act goes on a bit too long. This is a very silly movie, but if you've got a weakness for B-movie energy and hairbreadth escapes, 2012 delivers quite a bit of both. --Robert Horton
Synopsis
From Roland Emmerich, director of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and INDEPENDENCE DAY, comes the ultimate action-adventure film; a thrill-ride of human survival, exploding with groundbreaking special effects. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson and Danny Glover.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
458 of 503 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have looked at some of the reviews, and as much as anything I wanted to write a couple of lines simply to counter things.
There are far too many people who want to come across as insightful, so very seriously aware viewers, who know the hidden agenda going on, and can't be fooled into watching brainless entertainment without giving back a whole load of disdain. However, if you want a battleground for such debate, I hardly think 2012 is the proper place.
This movie is from the guy who make 10,000 BC, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow. It's a disaster movie. It's a soap opera. As such it has all the cardboard characters, the ridiculous cliffhangers, the simple dialog, and all the depth of a pond. On the other hand, it has spectacular effects, load bangs, literary seismic events. Some characters won't make it, some will become unlikely heroes. Which ones? Watch The Towering Inferno from the 70's to find out, it's all the same.....
But then, what was this movie trying to do? Some here are talking about the political message, the "new world order". I truly think they must be having a laugh on us. This film has been made many times, and it'll be made many times more. It's exciting at times, daft, silly and ridiculous. It's a disaster, after all.
What more do you want? You want politics? Go elsewhere. Who'd have thought an American movie, made largely for the American market, financed by American dollars, would center itself on American ideals, and the American way of life? Are we really shocked?
This is a five not because it's a good film, but because it does what it says on the tin. And for those concerned, it's okay to simply be entertained sometimes, honestly, it is.
There are far too many people who want to come across as insightful, so very seriously aware viewers, who know the hidden agenda going on, and can't be fooled into watching brainless entertainment without giving back a whole load of disdain. However, if you want a battleground for such debate, I hardly think 2012 is the proper place.
This movie is from the guy who make 10,000 BC, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow. It's a disaster movie. It's a soap opera. As such it has all the cardboard characters, the ridiculous cliffhangers, the simple dialog, and all the depth of a pond. On the other hand, it has spectacular effects, load bangs, literary seismic events. Some characters won't make it, some will become unlikely heroes. Which ones? Watch The Towering Inferno from the 70's to find out, it's all the same.....
But then, what was this movie trying to do? Some here are talking about the political message, the "new world order". I truly think they must be having a laugh on us. This film has been made many times, and it'll be made many times more. It's exciting at times, daft, silly and ridiculous. It's a disaster, after all.
What more do you want? You want politics? Go elsewhere. Who'd have thought an American movie, made largely for the American market, financed by American dollars, would center itself on American ideals, and the American way of life? Are we really shocked?
This is a five not because it's a good film, but because it does what it says on the tin. And for those concerned, it's okay to simply be entertained sometimes, honestly, it is.
49 of 56 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
If you sit down to watch 2012, like I did, you're probably not in it for the characters or Oscar worthy acting, or any kind of real emotional imput. No, you're in it for the thrills and spills, the relentless breathtaking superb CGI orgies of special effects and riveting explosions.
So you'll be pleased that this movie delivers its promise. I don't see the point of people writing about the poor acting or 2D characters because this is not what this movie is about. It is no more than a B movie pop corn action flick, which you sit down to watch on a Saturday night to loose yourself in the silliness of this action epic purely to be entertained. I agree that the characters are very badly conceived. None are particularly likeable and most others are annoying. This can be frustrating because you feel that if the actors and producers had taken the time to make the characters more likable this movie would be so much better off for it. For a start it would become instantly more compelling because you'd be willing the characters to survive, unfortunately you just don't care.
While the script is very loose, the dialogue is bland and the acting close to embarrassing for all concerned - the effects seem beyond our time and are the most exquisite I have seen to date. I had to marvel at how calm the characters seemed in some absolutely absurd scenarios, when buildings are collapsing all around them, they have no real fear or shock in there expressions and it takes away all the believability. It's hard enough to believe anyway, as the action is very far fetched, but undeniably brilliant. I just felt if the acting had been stronger the sense of peril would be greater, so the action moments would feel more intense, scarier and slightly more realistic. The central character drives cars, dodges explosions and comes close to death like he does it everyday and it really doesn't bother him.
I do agree with all this movies flaws and it does have a fare few. Still I was not disappointed by this film because my expectations were nothing more than what it is, which is an action epic that will at least once make you gasp. It's a little overlong and when the dialogue scenes do come they aren't very engaging and quite frankly I was just waiting for the next action set piece. In conclusion I would recommend this as a brainless entertaining film to watch over the weekend with a bottle of wine a few mates and some popcorn. It's worth the purchase, even better on Blu-ray. Just leave your brain at the door and don't expect too much, but it's certainly no way near as bad as others have made out!
So you'll be pleased that this movie delivers its promise. I don't see the point of people writing about the poor acting or 2D characters because this is not what this movie is about. It is no more than a B movie pop corn action flick, which you sit down to watch on a Saturday night to loose yourself in the silliness of this action epic purely to be entertained. I agree that the characters are very badly conceived. None are particularly likeable and most others are annoying. This can be frustrating because you feel that if the actors and producers had taken the time to make the characters more likable this movie would be so much better off for it. For a start it would become instantly more compelling because you'd be willing the characters to survive, unfortunately you just don't care.
While the script is very loose, the dialogue is bland and the acting close to embarrassing for all concerned - the effects seem beyond our time and are the most exquisite I have seen to date. I had to marvel at how calm the characters seemed in some absolutely absurd scenarios, when buildings are collapsing all around them, they have no real fear or shock in there expressions and it takes away all the believability. It's hard enough to believe anyway, as the action is very far fetched, but undeniably brilliant. I just felt if the acting had been stronger the sense of peril would be greater, so the action moments would feel more intense, scarier and slightly more realistic. The central character drives cars, dodges explosions and comes close to death like he does it everyday and it really doesn't bother him.
I do agree with all this movies flaws and it does have a fare few. Still I was not disappointed by this film because my expectations were nothing more than what it is, which is an action epic that will at least once make you gasp. It's a little overlong and when the dialogue scenes do come they aren't very engaging and quite frankly I was just waiting for the next action set piece. In conclusion I would recommend this as a brainless entertaining film to watch over the weekend with a bottle of wine a few mates and some popcorn. It's worth the purchase, even better on Blu-ray. Just leave your brain at the door and don't expect too much, but it's certainly no way near as bad as others have made out!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Rarely do I watch a film twice having seen it once and thought "that was rubbish" but I was killing time over the Christmas period and I watched 2012 again. It does not get better on second viewing. I know it's a disaster movie, I know it is a huge CGI movie I know all these things but please could actors like John Cusack do a little better than phoning in their performance. I mean how much money did he get paid for this and talk about doing it by numbers. Just because it is a disaster movie with a huge budget and CGI does not give the actors the right to give such poor personal performances. That was the killer for me, the acting was shambolic. I noted another reviewer suggesting that we look back at some of the disater movies of the 70's or 80's for comparison well you see there's the rub Paul Newman, Steve McQueen or Charlton Heston gave their roles everything and this is the point, for a couple of hours you could believe this was real, the movie, enjoy the experiance and go home. In 2012 the acting was so poor, dreadful the CGI effects are pointless because you don't believe the character potrayal and ergo all the special FX are of no consequence because no one gives a Sh## about any of the characters in the movie.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
It's the End of the World As We Know It, and Roland Emmerich Feels...
Having already destroyed the world twice on the big screen, Roland Emmerich clearly wasn't afraid of running the risk of repeating himself when he decided to do a much more... Read more
Published 15 days ago by Trevor Willsmer
2012
THIS IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE ACTION FILMS. IT'S GOT A LOT OF EDGE OF THE SEAT TENSION. THE SFX IS BRILLIANT. A MUST IF U LIKE TENSION. WOULD RECOMMEND *****
Published 2 months ago by yomama
Legend of all D Movies, 4 stars, but then forget it.
This is alright. I was disappointed for quite a while, and after the film. That was because I was expecting something else, a different film and much more. Read more
Published 2 months ago by G. Connolly
Film: 2012
I really enjoyed this film, a lot of Hollywood tongue- in- cheek, but the special effects are the best I have seen. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Linda
Great film!
This film is really good! I don't understand why the average rating is three stars????? It's really funny at times too, especially near the beginning with the Grannies...........! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. H. C. Seward-porter
Does what it says on the tin!
Well this is great. I bought a copy and it was 'borrowed by one of my four kinder, never to be returned. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Shane Maxwell
Slow & Boring....
The actors died of boredom not the end of the world! It's a very slow Americanised film. There are better apocalyptic films out there like "the day after tomorrow" which has an... Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. Harris
Not as bad as i thought
Was expecting the film to be shocking just because of all the negative reviews but i honestly don't see why everyone has bashed the film so much, it's pretty good, yeah not one of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. C. J. Davies
The best Disaster Movie
Excellent graphics from Blue Ray Disc, Very good story line! good special features, i would recommend this Blue Ray movie to anyone :D
Published 4 months ago by Lee W
The clock is ticking...
...for now. In a year's time this film is going to seem extremely out of date. The end of the world plot is ludicrous, but it might have been easier if no mention of the Mayan... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Inspector Gadget
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