Product Description

John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Danny GloverDirector: Roland EmmerichRELEASE DATE 29/03/10

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2586 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2010-03-29
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 158 minutes

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

Special Features

Synopsis
From Roland Emmerich, director of The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, comes the ultimate action-adventure film, exploding with groundbreaking special effects. As the world faces a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions, cities collapse and continents crumble. 2012 brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Customer Reviews

Yes, a 5
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.

Does exactly what it says on the tin!
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!

Surprisingly good
Quite a few "end of the world" movies have been done in recent years and "2012" rises above them all, mainly due to breath-taking CGI work, good and believable performance of the cast and moving personal stories.

The premise of the film is the global catastrophe the Mayan calendar predicts on December 12, 2012. Signs of the impending disaster appear already in 2009 and are brought to the awareness of several head of states worldwide.
Led by the U.S. government, they form a plan to deal with the upcoming calamity - and the way they choose to react is one of the most surprising, interesting aspects of the film that is fully disclosed only in its last part. As "Judgment-day" comes to a close the story veers to focus also on the getaway of American, Russian and Tibetan families and highlights acts of unselfishness and personal bravery in the wake of the self destructing earth.

I recommended you to watch "2012" in the theater in order to experience the full extent of the amazing special effects of mayhem and devastation that are abundant throughout the film, but a good home theater would also do.