2012 (on DVD March 2nd) is a movie about the end of the world.  The Mayan people have predicted that on December 21st, 2012, the world will undergo massive destruction and we will all be victim to it.  Do you believe that?  The makers of this movie at least want you to entertain it as a possiblity.

The premise of the movie is that the earth's core will heat to the point that the outer crust will begin to seperate and crack and so on and so forth.  The science behind it is way above my head and I don't imagine there are many of you that would want to see me try and explain it, I couldn't anyway.  Basically we are all s#$% out of luck.

Our leading man is Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), who is a struggling author and we learn early on that he is no longer with his wife Kate (Amanda Peet).  She and her kids now live with Gordon (Thomas McCarthy), a successful plastic surgeon.  Curtis's son prefers Gordon and it causes tension on more than one occassion.  Curtis goes camping with his kids in Yellowstone and they stumble upon a secured area of the park.  They are quickly descended upon by the U.S. military.  They aren't supposed to be there (so what's the cover up?) and that's explained to them by Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a government scientist who is working on predicting exactly when the world will end so that the governments of the world can make a safe getaway. 

Curtis also stumbles upon Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), a very crazy (but we find out not all that crazy) end of the world believer who also just happens to have his own radio show on which he spreads the news of eventual destruction.  He runs his show straight out of the back of his mobile home.  He also has uncovered exactly how the governments of the world are going to survive this disaster.  There are others in the movie who figure out the governments plot to save only a select few and leave everyone else behind to die and when the U.S. government learns of these people you can guess what happens to them.  It's funny that Charlie knows, broadcasts it to anyone who will listen (he also repeatedly tells his listeners his exact location) and yet the government doesn't seem to care that he knows their plans.  I will say this, I am glad that they leave Charlie alone because he is really the only entertaining character in the movie.

Now the destruction begins, the world's governmental leaders start the evacuation process and the ridiculousness goes into full swing.  I completely understand that this movie is not supposed to be believable and that it's mainly about the special effects but it wouldn't have hurt to make things just a bit less outrageous.

My favorite parts were anytime Curtis got into a vehicle it turned magical.  It started with a limousine that made it out of a rapidly collapsing city basically unscathed.  Then it was a private airplane, a mobile home, and a jumbo jet.  He had the magic touch.  I get that he had to survive but it was crazy nonetheless.  I actually said out loud "every vehicle he gets in is suddenly magical." 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  My favorite line from the movie came from Gordon while in a supermarket shopping with Katie.  Gordon brings up their relationship and he feels things just aren't going right and says to Katie, "I just feel like there's something pulling us apart...." and at that moment they are seperated by a huge crater from the earthquake that just split the store in two.  Genious writing, pure genious.

The movie is very predictable and for being all about the special effects, I was left unimpressed.  If you are in the mood for a movie with tons of destruction and you don't really want to think much about the plot, then you will enjoy this movie.  If you are looking for something more than maybe find a different one.