2012 - The lame disaster film returns.

[Spiffy]

Has anyone seen the trailer for this? There was a medium sized version, it had to be 2 minutes or so, tonight on CBS, for example.

The effects are "big", sure, but it left me completely cold. I don't expect much believability from disaster films, but it kind of pushed a limit for me to see a scene where a bunch of people are only "a quarter second" in front of something collapsing or crushing them over and over and over and over and over in that short a period. Houses, cars, asphalt and even skyscrapers, just missing by inches, and then see it go on for several minutes. Crash, race, crash, race, crash, race, crash, race, etc.

John Cusack calls a family in a home and warns them to get out. They ignore him, until the earth under their house starts splitting open right while they're on the phone with him. Cusack races in the door, grabs them, and the moment they get out the door, the roof falls in and the house is powder. They can't get in the car quickly enough, and a big crack in the earth opens up right where the car was 1/4 a second before they peal out. They drive down the block, and a big WAVE of collapsing road follows them, about 1 car length behind. They drive through a city, and hundreds of cars, thousands of pieces of road, tens thousand or so flying bodies, and even entire skyscrapers, collapse behind, aside, and IN FRONT of them (they swerve, okay) for like another minute. They get to an airstrip and get on their own little private plane, and as they take off, the entire airport falls into the earth behind them. They fly through some more skyscrapers, which collapse right as they fly between them, but fortunately none of the millions of pieces of scrap hits them.

Maybe its just me. I know if there were giant robots involved or something, I might not give a crap and accept an endless stream of glossy near misses. But there weren't any giant robots. It was John Cusack, for goodness sake!

I know a few people will just reply back "big deal, this is how every film like this is". I know. I just think this one pushed it a bit too far.

Also, it occurred to me that this is a masterpiece of bad timing for them to roll this commercial in prime time tonight. Cities in Indonesia ARE being turned to dust by Earthquakes right now. Was the ruling that people in the US wouldn't CARE, because its only people in Asia this is happening to? Some bad pictures are on the news to be contrasted to their glossy "people barely escaping" fantasy of 2012.

[cedardryad]

The disappearing runway scene reminded me of the Langoliers movie. That always creeped me out.

While watching this I wondered: "If the whole world is loosing it's crust, then where is the plane going to land when they run out of fuel. They're just delaying the inevitable."

[Spiffy]

I just assumed that because it was California (it WAS supposed to be, right?), that whatever disaster is supposed to befall the entire world, of course started there. I mean they're ALREADY Earthquake city.

Really, the CGI was maddening. It was just flying crashing object after flying crashing object. SO overdone.

[jamesfreeman]

I have more of a problem with the way it's marketed. Now, a bunch of stupid people are thinking that the Mayans predicted our death, despite the fact that that's NOT what the calendar predicts.

I'm telling you, 2012 is going to be a bad year...and a bad movie.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I saw the brief preview of the whole call with Cusack and the collapsing ground. I'm sure he'll carry this film basically. Since he's fucking John Cusack and he pretty much is the best part of each film he does.

I'll watch 2012. Mostly for Cusack.

[Alan Lynch]

It looks dumb as hell, so if nothing else I'll get a giggle out of it.

[The Tyrant Virus]

This is pretty much exactly what I expect from Roland Emmerich. And really, if you look at the progression of his disaster-type movies, each one has ramped up the destruction and mayhem at least double over the previous one, so it should come as a surprise to no one that it's come to this point.

[Sean Walsh]

That trailer made me fully understand the term "eye porn."

[Cayman]

It looked like a fun video game, but a terrible movie.

[jesse_custer]

The lame disaster film never left.

[KevinTBrown]

It looks like a brain-numbing, way over the top, fun flick. I'll have my popcorn at the ready to watch.

[worstblogever]

I am disappointed that as he drives away from the fault opening up in the Earth in California, that these two guys aren't beside him, drag racing, doing impressions of Howard Cosell.

[Night Swordsman]

Originally Posted by cedardryad

The disappearing runway scene reminded me of the Langoliers movie. That always creeped me out.

While watching this I wondered: "If the whole world is loosing it's crust, then where is the plane going to land when they run out of fuel. They're just delaying the inevitable."

Another Langoliers fan!

[Night Swordsman]

Disaster movies have been around a long time, and the 70s boasted several. The biggest blockbuster movie of all time is a disaster movie. They make money. And this is not the first movie about the end of the world.

It might be crap, but at least watch it before you call it crap.

And some of us LIKE John Cusack.

[Redem]

Alternative title for 2012

"Everything get destroyed!"