The Mayans were right after all…2009. Scientists run across some scary figures that can be bad news. They try to find another explanation other than the most obvious and terrifying one: the world is coming to an end.

These results are shared with world leaders and some very rich men. Only a selected number of people will live through the disaster and unless you are really important, you don’t stand a chance: In the name of preventing anarchy, the bad news is kept from the public until the last minute (with the insistence of Oliver Platt’s character Anheuser).

Enter Jackson (John Cusack), a published but not exactly financially successful author. He is divorced with two young kids, who live with his ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and her boyfriend Gordon (Thomas McCarthy).When he takes his kids to camping, Jackson realizes something is way off and they run into military officials. Then he meets a nutty blogger/podcaster/radio DJ Charlie (Woody Harrelson) who lives in a caravan at the national park and is sharing his conspiracy theories about the world’s end. Jackson at first dismisses his wild assumptions but shattering earthquakes convince him that Charlie may not be so nutty after all.

From then on, the world really starts falling apart. Jackson takes his family & Gordon and he drives them to the small plane he has rented, with the city literally coming down on them. They find the pilot dead so they rely on Gordon’ flying lessons to survive. Jackson decides to see Charlie one more time, since he had every theory right so far and he was talking about the “spaceships” the government was building.

The movie continues to get faster with bigger adventures and effects, with disaster following the family in the air, on the ground and more… Can anyone really make it alive? Will the “spaceships” work?

Now, I have to say 2012 turned out to be better than I was expecting. OK, I am not talking about the script. It is full of your typical clichés, complete with heroic characters, doting family members and all that But Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day) is usually good at making the best of these clichés and providing great effects. I was bored early into the film but you just need to hang on for the first 25-30 minutes or so (the movie is about 158 minutes long).

So Roland has done it again- average story with impressive effects, typically likeable characters, an insane theory and lots of human vs. nature action. I had a lot of fun. Now, if the world was really coming to an end, would I recommend this movie? Probably not. But then again, despite being a total movie nut, I wouldn’t recommend any movie in that scenario. Hey, if we had 1 year left to live, we would go out to live life to the fullest and not watch film. Especially not by Emmerich.

5.9 on IMDB. I don’t have an overall verdict. Instead:

5 – for the story (it is as average as it gets).

6.5 – for the cast (Danny Glover, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson)

8- for the effects.

Enjoy.

Roland Emmerich Movies

The Day After Tomorrow starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal and Sela Ward,

The Patriot starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger

Independence Day starring Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith