2012 (2009/I)

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writers (WGA):

Roland Emmerich (written by) &
Harald Kloser (written by)

Release Date:

13 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

We Were Warned.

Plot:

An epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Plot Keywords:

Cataclysm | President | Earthquake | Volcanic Eruption | Writer

Awards:

5 nominations

US Showtimes:

The Bridge: Cinema de lux

11:55am | 3:20pm | 6:45 | 10:10

(personalize)

Cast

John Cusack	...	Jackson Curtis
Amanda Peet	...	Kate Curtis
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Adrian Helmsley
Thandie Newton	...	Laura Wilson
Oliver Platt	...	Carl Anheuser
Thomas McCarthy	...	Gordon Silberman (as Tom McCarthy)
Woody Harrelson	...	Charlie Frost
Danny Glover	...	President Thomas Wilson
Liam James	...	Noah Curtis
Morgan Lily	...	Lilly Curtis
Zlatko Buric	...	Yuri Karpov
Beatrice Rosen	...	Tamara
Alexandre Haussmann	...	Alec
Philippe Haussmann	...	Oleg
Johann Urb	...	Sasha

Also Known As:

Farewell Atlantis (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language.

Runtime:

158 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44575) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:PG | Norway:11 | Japan:G | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Sweden:11 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Iceland:10 | Brazil:12 | Malaysia:U | Thailand:G | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

In an interview by USA Today, Roland Emmerich has stated that this will be his final disaster film: "I said to myself that I'll do one more disaster movie, but it has to end all disaster movies. So I packed everything in."

Goofs:

Factual errors: No aircraft could function with an atmosphere choked with volcanic ash, which would cause engine seizures.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
President Thomas Wilson: Today we are one family.

Movie Connections:

References The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Soundtrack:

It Ain't the End of the World

Great campy fun

It was pretty much inevitable that someone would make a movie based on all the 2012 hoopla. Nor is it surprising when that someone is disaster maven Roland Emmerich. His latest effort adheres closely to the formula established by his earlier films "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow"- in other words we get to watch a typically flawed-but-lovable American family (headed by John Cusack and Amanda Peet), along with a range of supporting characters, attempt to survive the end of the world.

That's all there is to the basic plot. The real stars of the film are the truly spectacular special effects. Emmerich really pulls out all the stops and creates some truly awesome set-pieces of destruction. In order to ensure that the main characters have endless perilous situations to escape from, we get to see a bunch of natural and man-made wonders get totaled by Mama Nature. Highlights include Los Angeles falling into the sea, Las Vegas being swallowed by the desert, and the Himalayas being submerged by tidal waves.

Improbable? Definitely. Ridiculous? You bet. But none of that matters since "2012" is exactly the film it was intended to be- a great big popcorn movie that offers big laughs, big thrills, and a lot of good old fashioned fun.