I did not particularly want to see this movie, but my step dad did and he’s gone to see some of the movies I’ve wanted to see. So I went. And I didn’t care for it. My mom didn’t like it either, though my step dad did like it.
In 2009, some scientists in India discover that the increased solar flare activity is causing the core of Earth to heat up. One of the scientists, Adrian, returns to Washington, D.C. and the president is informed. The president then talks to other world leaders and they start making plans.
In 2012, Jackson is taking his children to Yellowstone Park. He and their mother Kate are divorced and his relationship with Lily and Noah isn’t that strong. While at the park, Jackson and his kids see some weird stuff going on. They return early from the trip after Kate and her boyfriend survive a horrible earthquake. Jackson soon decides that something else is going on and makes plans to get them out of the city. Things start happening all around the world, and the world leaders put their plan in motion.
I have liked other disaster movies, but I really don’t care for this one. It is entirely too long, mostly because some sequences are repeated a few times. Cars racing away while the road crumbles behind them. Air planes taking off as the runway crumbles while also dodging debris. One time for that stuff is enough, but it turns up over and over, especially the airplane stuff. To make that worse, the man flying the plane, who manages to dodge falling building and even flaming debris at times, has only had like two flying lessons. I can suspend belief when watching movies, but this one just pushed things too far. The special effects are fine, though the movie does rely too much on them instead of a decent story.
The characters are flat and none of them are developed enough to care about, even the ones that are supposed to be main characters. It wasn’t that I wanted to see people die, but I wasn’t upset when it happened. I just didn’t care about the characters. It is very obvious that several characters are introduced in just to be victims. I think a lot of the characters in this movie are just new versions of characters that Emmerich used in previous movies like the scientist who knows what is going on and the divorced couple getting thrown back together. There is a decent cast for this one, but they are wasted.
There are just too many problems with this movie for me to like it. It isn’t the worst movie I’ve seen, but it isn’t that great. The movie really isn’t worth watching.
I did get a review posted on Epinions.
2012