Movie review: '2012'
The end is not near enough for "2012," the latest nihilistic disaster flick, directed by end-of-the-world specialist Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow," "Independence Day").
The 2½-hour film hews close to genre standards: the redeemed deadbeat dad (John Cusack), the coming together of different peoples, the toppling of monuments. The cause of destruction this time is neutrinos from the sun that have heated the earth's core and destabilized the planet's crust. Cusack and others skip narrowly ahead of the shifting tectonics; California falls into the ocean and much of the world follows suit.
The most grounded thing here is the acting. Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor (as a government scientist), Oliver Platt (as the president's chief-of-staff) and Woody Harrelson (perfectly cast as a conspiracy theory-addled nut) almost convince you that something decent is at work in "2012."
But it's just another doomsday film, with new digital effects and stock scenes patched together from "Jaws," ''The Poseidon Adventure" and "Armageddon."
1.5 star (Poor) Rated PG-13 (intense disaster sequences and some language) Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet Directed by: Roland Emmerich Length: 2 hours, 38 minutes Playing at: AMCG, CHES, DEST, FISH, HUDV, LYCE, MIDD, PALIS, PALTZ, PGAL, ROSV, SHOW
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