Blu-Ray Review: 2012

2012
Written by: Harald Kloser & Roland Emmerich
Directed by:  Roland Emmerich
Starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson

Special Features:  Alternate Ending, Picture-in-Picture: Roland's Vision, Commentary and MovieIQ

From the box:

From Roland Emmerich, director of The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, comes the ultimate action-adventure movie, 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. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

I was as skeptical as anyone when I saw the trailer for this movie. In fact, I think I outwardly groaned, even while finding myself impressed by the effects on display.  So it should come as no surprise that 2012 is a terrible film filled with impossibilities, poor dialogue, underwhelming acting and more car jumps than I've ever seen in a movie.

What will surprise you is that I enjoyed every second of it.

Click the Rawr! for the complete review.




2012 is popcorn at its very best.  Sure it's another incredulous disaster movie but it's darn fun to watch.  Focusing mainly on John Cusack's attempt to get his family to safety as the world crumbles, literally, around them, 2012 manages to hit some emotional chords despite being an excuse to show off the latest visual effects innovations.

The actors do their best with the lines they have. The performances are pretty good for the most part except when they hit those lines that not even the most brilliant actor alive can make sound good. There are a few of them believe me.  Woody Harrelson stands out for me. He played his part so ridiculously over the top that I couldn't help but love it.  I'm also a huge fan of John Cusack and enjoyed his less than serious take here. 

The movie has a lot of action coupled with some truly breathtaking effects. The filmmakers did their best to infuse some humor here as well, some falls flat but there are some genuine laughs between some really edge of your seat stuff.  You never really fear too much for the main characters but I still found myself nervous by who would make it and who wouldn't.

The real star here of course is the special effects. They are jaw dropping but there are a couple times when we're painfully aware of the green screen.  Still, these moments are few and far between and don't take too much away from the whole package.

Of course, 2012 on Blu-ray is a sight to behold.  It looks just gorgeous. Crystal clear and completely engrossing sound make this a highlight to see on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the special features are a bit lacking.   There is only an Alternate Ending, Commentary, and a Picture-In-Picture feature about Roland Emmerich's Vision.  Pretty under supplemented if you ask me.

It's hard not to get caught up in the fun of 2012. Sure, in reality it's terrible but I sure enjoyed it. It's one of those bad movies you can sit back and not hate yourself for liking.  It doesn't have to be brilliant.  It's a summer blockbuster through and through and it delivered the thrills, the emotion, and the excitement it needed to.

Have some fun and catch 2012! It's available on Blu-ray now.