Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by James M. Martin on December 18, 2009 at 10:22pm

Just a bunch of clever devils in California special effects circles concocting a plot built not around characters who are more than props so that you can justify a budget of a couple of million dollars not including the starving actors' salaries. John Cusack should be hanging his head in shame. But at least they left Kirk Cameron out of it. He used to be sooooo cute!

Permalink Reply by Hugh Kramer on December 19, 2009 at 9:29am

I saw 2012 in the theater. The special effects were awesome. Of course, after an hour or so of repeated hairbreadth escapes and rollercoaster action, my eyelids still started to droop. No amount of special effects could make up for the weak writing, brainless storyline and 2-dimensional characterizations.

Permalink Reply by Jo Jerome on December 19, 2009 at 2:14pm

Ok now that I've seen it, I really, really want to know what the big hubbub was about.

......Minimal spoilers as this is the same plot formula as 90% of all disaster movies made:.......

- Wide-eyed scientists discover some imminent catastrophe.

- Attempt to make a statement about power and corruption via how key characters and world leaders react to the news.

- Lots of shit blowing apart while the protagonist makes innumerable, impossible, by-the-skin-of-his-teeth escapes from unique means of death and destruction.

- End credits with new hit song by new hip pop star that has nothing whatsoever to do with the film itself, but provides a great way to promote said pop star. (Adam Lambert really is quite cool, so the best part of the movie for me is that he gets a little plug).

About the only plot point missing? The religious prophecy. Yeah, for the title of the film itself, the Mayan prophecy was barely even mentioned. A crazy guy in the woods briefly dons his tin foil hat and says, "The Mayans saw this coming, the I Ching, the bible sort of..." and lists the prophesied date of doom as December 21, 2010.

But seeing as how Yellowstone National Park has grass on the ground, leaves on the trees, and not a snowflake to be found when the end of the world starts, I'm guessing the filmmakers decided to push the doomsday date up a few months. Either that, or their failure to depict what Yellowstone looks like in the Winter is the biggest of a long line of rather huge scientific blunders.

Anyway, I really don't see how this film is going to stoke any fires that weren't already stoked. If anyone going into the movie didn't know about the Mayan prophecy, they aren't really going to learn anything here. Its mention is so brief as to be all but forgettable.

All that said, insanely cool end-of-the-world CGI images. Even if they did fail to make an aircraft carrier in true proportion to the size of the White House.

Permalink Reply by Richard Goscicki on December 22, 2009 at 6:17pm

I did a video on 2012, the year that is, some months ago. I found it disturbing that so many people believe this nonsense and I make a connection between the abuse of the planet and the belief that it's coming to an end. Coincidence that they made a movie out of it.

Permalink Reply by Jo Jerome on December 22, 2009 at 7:58pm

Oh I'm not saying it's a coincidence that a 2012 movie was made. I'm actually quite shocked Hollywood didn't latch onto this earlier.

But for all the hype, I'm surprised the filmmakers didn't weave more of the Mayan prophecy theme into it.

Then again, they reportedly nixed the idea of showing a Mosque being destroyed along with other religious icons for fear of Muslim backlash. So if they were such pussies as to fear people taking something like that too seriously, I suppose the downplay of the prophecy itself was their way of pussying out of being accused of stoking that fire as well.

Personally, as a scifi fan, I would LOVE to have seen an end-of-world blockbuster that took full advantage of the prophecy. I actually really love it when films take actual biblical prophecies, actual prophecy-prophecies, and make a what-if-it's-real movie about it. The scifi/fantasy lover in me gets a good story, and I get to laugh at the millions who take it seriously.

Permalink Reply by Dave Rogers on December 23, 2009 at 8:05am

and I get to laugh at the millions who take it seriously.

I've said before you better get your xmas shopping done early in 2012. There's going to be a lot of pissed-off End-Timers doing last-minute shopping.

Permalink Reply by Jo Jerome on December 23, 2009 at 3:27pm

I've said before you better get your xmas shopping done early in 2012. There's going to be a lot of pissed-off End-Timers doing last-minute shopping

Ooh, didn't even think about that!

Permalink Reply by L. Olcott on February 22, 2011 at 10:10pm

>> There's going to be a lot of pissed-off End-Timers doing last-minute shopping.

 

that is funny!