“When they tell you not to panic... that's when you run!” but in the movie 2012 that came out last Friday the 13th,this doesn’t seem to be good enough to save most of the people on Earth. In this slightly overdone disaster movie the end of the world becomes almost comic as subway trains rain down on an airplane flying though the mile wide trench that used to be California. This feeling dies a quick death, however, as images of people falling into the trench or being consumed in an enormous cloud of toxic gasses accurately convey the true horror that comes with the end of the world.
This sense of foreboding doom follows the family of Jackson Curtis as they try to survive the horrific events that occur during their race across the globe. They face every challenge from massive ten point earthquakes to a volcano that rains down massive chunks of Yellowstone National Park, but stay together as a family. This idea of family and sticking together seems to play an important role in the movie and anybody who betrays their family suffers because of it.
Another important theme in 2012 is that the government is trying to cover-up the events that are to come. This theme is shouted out, loud and clear, as assassinations, cover-ups, and corruption sweep through the world before and during the disastrous events that threaten to destroy our world. However, it only seems to be directed towards the President of the United States and several other important world leaders as they try to cover-up the end of the world. This seemingly daunting task is effectively carried out through the deaths of several influential people that were going to bring the story to the public. Even though most of these world leaders eventually come to their senses and even try to help some of their people, this idea of corruption plays through to the end of the movie.
In conclusion, 2012 is a very action packed movie that accurately depicts the end of the world while simultaneously conveying several important themes that affect the course of the movie. It’s a lot more intense than The Day After Tomorrow, but thankfully doesn’t end with the complete devastation in Knowing. It is rated PG-13 for a reason and some people might find the language offensive, but overall it is a good movie with plenty of emotion, even if it is nearly three hours long. So, if you have the time and like watching most of the people in to world dying as a family fights for survival, then this movie is just what you need.