What did you guys make of the movie 2012?
By debsgw
@debsgw (256)
May 20, 2010 3:45am CST
I really enjoyed the special effects and I love John Cusack as an actor but I was a bit disappointed by the treatment of the theory underlying this film.
We've been reading quite a bit about the Mayan theory of how 2012 will see the end of the current world phase that we are in and the beginning of the next one and what various people's interpretations of that mean, and after seeing The Day After Tomorrow from the same film director, I had been hoping for a less dramatic treatment of the 2012 theme. I guess I can see why Roland Emmerich opted for the big disaster movie theme in order to make it so improbable that no-one would get panicky after seeing it but rather see the film as pure entertainment but...
Am interested to know what others thought of the movie and maybe what you think of the theory?
8 responses
@elvieb02 (695)
• Philippines
21 May 10
I watched the movie in theater with my husband. After watching the movie, it didn't get off my mind. I always thought what if that would really happen. My husband also asked me that question, I said I don't know, maybe I will just do what other people did in movie. The story has similarities with The Day After Tomorrow, but it's okay for me. What else can you put there in the disaster movie. I just enjoyed the effects and the after-thought.
@debsgw (256)
•
21 May 10
hi elvieb,
I think that's the best way to look at this movie - just enjoy the special effects - I reckon the reason that it didn't bother me at all was because I had already been interested in reading about the theory which is really nothing like the movie - at least not what I've read - so the movie was just another disaster flick to me too :)
@ybong007 (6643)
• Philippines
21 May 10
I could have appreciated the movie more if i watched it on an original disc but what i got was a pirated CD with all the wrong subtitles, the moving screen, a reception where you can see the pixels...in short, it was a good movie seen in a badly copied pirated disc. But personally, the events in the movie happened so fast that i consider it unbelievable.
@dadsadfun (42)
• India
20 May 10
Telling the truth, I am very sad and also scared. Infact I have started accumulating money to buy a seat for me and my family on the life saving cruise. I guess it will be ready by 2200. But i hope this is not true cause i want still want to live more 300-400 years. I still have a lot to see a lot in life. I want to experience everything in lyf.
@debsgw (256)
•
21 May 10
Don't let it worry you too much, just read through other peoples responses here to remind you that this is only a movie. It's not attempting to be an accurate depiction, like someone already mentioned we just don't know what will happen in the future because we do all have a role in it's unfolding.
From what I've read the Mayan theory doesn't expect it to be anything at all like the Hollywood movie, that was pure entertainment...
@MiguelFigueiredo (13)
• Portugal
20 May 10
I think you're question might be:
"what did you guys TOUGHT of the movie 2012?"
No ofense, I just whant to correct you.
I tought it was a great movie, great sound and quality.
I tottaly reccomend it to everybody!
@debsgw (256)
•
21 May 10
hi - umm well if we're splitting hairs about my grammar here lol - I guess really I should have said 'what did you guys think' or 'tell me what you guys thought of' ...
Just preferred to use a local figure of speech lol :)
Glad you enjoyed the movie anyway - it sure did have good effects didn't it?
@dolphin0106 (34)
•
20 May 10
I haven't seen this movie yet, the trailer looks good so I definately want to watch it soon. They say that is really going to happen in 2012, and that thought makes me terrified. I hope it isn't true:(
@debsgw (256)
•
20 May 10
Hi dolphin,
No worries, I don't believe that life is ever like a Hollywood blockbuster so don't be terrified. They make these films loom larger than life to provide maximum entertainment. If you do go see it, remember that it doesn't bear much relevance to the theory at all - it simply references it to give itself an edge.
Enjoy it for what it is, a full on special effects fest with great CGI effects..
@GoldenJug (11)
• Lithuania
20 May 10
It was an okey movie. And you must understand that its main thoguht wasint the action or the disaster ,bu the people. When such things happen everyones for themselves. Remeber the ending part where a thousand of people were trying ot get on the last ship and started fighting each other ,pushing to the bottom and so on and so on. Its to show that we have to work together and put money or our lives second. I do belieave the prophesy about 2012 ,but theres not many chanses it will happen. The main theory is the galactic aligment whitch shudnt caouse any disturbances in the earths atmosfere.
@debsgw (256)
•
21 May 10
Actually I think the movie makers main thought was about the money they would make when people went to see all that action and disaster lol :)
I can see where you're coming from though, they did try to make the point that it is more important to think of others than only oneself by making a hero of the president who stayed behind to try to calm the people and also of the scientist who persuaded them to open the doors and let those people onboard.
I choose not to believe that 2012 is going to be anything like the movie either just that the galactic changes are creating many of the natural disasters that we are seeing increasingly and hope that these will lessen again after 2012...
@thedailyclick (3017)
•
20 May 10
I’ll be honest and say I didn’t expect anything but a CGI, action driven movie when it came to 2012. I’ve seen many of Emmerich’s movies such as “Independence Day”, “Universal Soldier” and “Godzilla” and they are all movies which work on big action first, actors second and storyline third.
The thing is with the Mayan tie in to 2012, the storyline referenced it because of the great marketing opportunity it delivered. It drew people to watch the film to find out more which 2012 certainly doesn’t deliver.
Personally I didn’t really enjoy 2012, not because it didn’t explore the Mayan legend but because it was just a rollercoaster ride of special effects and action, lacking anything close to a storyline or real depth.
@debsgw (256)
•
20 May 10
Thanks for responding :)
and pretty much confirming my feelings on this one although to be honest I have enjoyed his previous films that I've seen (Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow) simply because I viewed them as escapist stuff that was going to be full of special effects and in the right mood I can really enjoy those.
I guess I just shouldn't have expected more from 2012..
@med889 (5941)
•
20 May 10
When I first saw the movie 2012 I was really sad and my reaction was like "what shall I do if it really happens" or that "I think this is really going to happen because we can see tsunami everywhere in the world." After one day I was writing a review on Killing Jokes and I noticed that even they are believing in the Mayan calender.
The movie is a very good one but it scares people though.
@debsgw (256)
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20 May 10
Well I guess disaster movies are meant to scare people and that's why they are big business but I know what you mean about this one having special relevance in some ways because of it's link with the Mayan calendar prophesy.
From what I've been reading it seems that the Mayans don't believe that the world will end in the way it's shown in the film though, the prophesy says there will be great change and that this phase of world time is characterised by the kind of increase in natural disasters that we are seeing, but the Mayans believe that this has happened before and that humans survived.
Thanks for sharing your view - don't let the movie scare you too much because I saw an interview excerpt with the director where he says that it's not really based on the prophesy it's just taken the bits it could exaggerate in order to make good box office. He likes making films where things are destroyed, think Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla..
