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“2012” is an action adventure filmed based on the 2012 Mayan prophecies, directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed other films that also suggested the end of Earth as we know it such as “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Independence Day”.
In the film, the year is 2009; the sun emits a massive solar flare which causes Earth’s core temperature to rise rapidly. American scientist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwerel Ejiofor) obtains this information from India and submits a report to Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), who immediately takes him to see the US President, Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover). In 2010, Wilson tells other governments of the situation and the Chinese government is the first to order the creation of five arks in preparation for the end of the world. To fund the construction of the arks, billionaires are allowed to buy a ticket for one billion Euros. The rest of the human population is not even informed of the future event, since it would be impossible for anyone besides billionaires to afford a ticket to save their life.
Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a divorced father of two who works as a limousine driver for one of these billionaires and is also a writer. Jackson takes his children on a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park where they meet Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), a radio show host and conspiracy theorist who believes in the Mayans' prediction of the world ending in 2012 and tells them about the location of the arks. Despite government assurances that all is fine, Jackson grows suspicious and hires a private plane to rescue his family.
Jackson manages to take his family across the Atlantic towards China. During his adventure the Unites States and most of the world is being destroyed by gigantic tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Realizing that it is impossible to get on board the arks without a billion euro ticket, the group is able to do so with the help of a Buddhist monk, Nima (Osric Chau) and his brother Tenzin (Chin Han) who worked on the ark project, and helps them sneak inside the US ark. (It’s all about who you know.)
Against all odds, when the flood eventually recedes, satellite data shows that Africa rose in sea level and may not have flooded at all. The movie ends with a view of the world showing the dramatically changed African continent.
2012 is a great action adventure film to watch. The specials effects are some of the most spectacular of the year. The script is not that great and it barely touches on the Mayan prophecies, but the story itself and the events that take place makes it worthwhile to watch. It’s almost impossible to keep your eyes off the film; the potential destruction of earth and the inevitable extinction of the human race, makes you think of what is really important. The film portrays a world and a situation in which morality is almost nonexistent, as the governments only care about saving the elite, about 1% of earth’s population. Other people are not warned of the catastrophic event that will take place, and are unable to prepare for the worst. Those who know that the end is near find themselves praying to God to be rescued or to have their souls be rescued. This film shows the vulnerability of the world’s governments in their role as protectors of its citizens, and the poor judgment they use to preserve human continuity on Earth.
“2012” is currently playing at all local theaters and will probably stay for a while – at least through the holiday season, when kids out of school need to be entertained.
Editor’s note: Read www.pirateslog.org for an upcoming article by Marisol Diaz about the Mayan prophecies!
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