By Shelly Williams/managing editor
Some scientists believe the California coastline will at some point crumble and fall into the Pacific Ocean. Because of the ancient Mayan civilization’s calendar, many people believe the world will end Dec. 21, 2012.
Based on those theories, director Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day) makes both of those theories come to life in a dragging three-hour battle of ethics, time, survival and bad acting in the movie 2012.
Though the White House and governments around the world try to keep the destruction of the planet a secret from the public, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), author of Farewell Atlantis, a book based on the hypothetical situation, begins to suspect what is happening while on a camping trip with his children at Yellowstone National Park.
His family stumbles onto “the hot zone” at the park’s lake and is stopped by U.S. military troops who escort them back to a science base in the park. Though the scientists won’t tell him much, a crazy camper, Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), has put his observations of the military’s goings-on together and tells Curtis what he’s figured out.
Soon after, an earthquake hits near Curtis’ home, and he is told to go back with his family. Just as he arrives, the world literally begins crashing around them as California is rocked by a massive earthquake, causing Curtis and his family to try and outrun the disaster and get to safety as the state falls into the ocean.
The special effects in this scene make the first 90 minutes exciting as the family scrambles through crumbling roads, debris and falling buildings. It puts the audience on the edge of its seat as it hopes and waits to see if the family makes it out alive.
However, as the White House begins to realize it is short on time, the government initiates an evacuation plan, making the movie a drawn-out version of Noah’s Ark.
After that first initial shock of the destruction around the world, the special effects become repetitive, overwhelming and exhausting to watch. The only relief between the devastating scenes of millions dying and the government’s erratic decisions to “save people” are Curtis’ one-liners and the Dalai Lama’s giving away his pickup truck.
The only thing good about this hypothetical mess is the movie’s ability to make you stop and think. Viewers will definitely wonder what they would do if they were put in those positions when the world ends.
However, wait to see the world end on DVD or HBO. It’s better that way.