⭐⭐½ – 2012 – Loud, destructive, and oddly hollow.
This is a disaster movie built entirely around the idea that the world was supposed to end in 2012 — which, as we all inconveniently discovered, didn’t exactly pan out.
At the time, though, the scale of it all was impressive. The visual effects were huge, the destruction scenes were relentless, and the sound design absolutely carried its weight. You can tell this was made to overwhelm audiences audiovisually. That said, I’m very glad I watched it at home rather than in a cinema. Two and a half hours of non-stop collapsing landmarks probably would’ve exhausted me on the big screen.
John Cusack is normally someone I enjoy watching, but here he never quite felt like… himself. Not bad exactly — just missing that relatable, grounded quality he usually brings. I never fully connected with the character the way I expected to, and that disconnect hurts a film that’s asking you to emotionally anchor yourself amidst total chaos.
The acting overall is pretty uneven, and the premise for humanity’s survival feels extremely familiar. Instead of underground bunkers like Deep Impact, we get giant ships — but the underlying idea is basically the same. Disaster movies naturally overlap, but the better ones still find a way to feel fresh. This one mostly feels like a very expensive remix of ideas you’ve already seen done elsewhere.
Still, if you want giant set pieces, collapsing cities, and the cinematic equivalent of smashing toy cars together as a kid, it absolutely delivers on that front.
🥃 A very large rum and coke — flashy, excessive, and a bit too much by the end of the night.
