2012
Roland Emmerich gets the ball rolling when scientist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) discovers the earth is on its way to a very quick self destruction from the inside out. Just as things begin to surface (like magma) a failed novelist Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his two children have decided to take a trip to Yellowstone. Upon arriving at the park Jackson immediately senses something is wrong and takes it upon himself to see just what that something is. After being apprehended by none other than the U.S Army his curiosity spikes through the roof. He isn’t the only one with suspicions. Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) a conspiracy theory radio host, offers him a bit of incite on the happenings. From there things start to heat up, literally, Jackson and his family are fighting against time to survive in the mists of total global mayhem and destruction.
Written by Roland Emmerich and Harold Kloser. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover, Oliver Platt, Thomas McCarthy, Thandie Newton, Liam James, & Morgan Lily.
Blu-ray Style
Wow, talk about amazing! I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it was phenomenal. It was absolutely beautiful in an extremely decimating way. The obliterating scenes of mass destruction were superb. We most definitely saw 1080p High Definition at work. Everything was incredibly crisp, clean and utterly terrifying. Even if it was just a wee bit over the top, but who cares it looks fantastic! The explosions were heated! The flames soaring across the plane with nothing more than for the sole purpose of mass decimation was stellar. The overwhelming clouds of smoke and tsunamis were quite something to view. The only problem I had with the video was the transition from computer generated scenes to shot ones, and the blending of the two. The digital effects didn’t appear to be incredibly smooth all the time, which caught my attention several times. Once again this movie was incredibly unrealistic, but very visually entertaining.
If the visuals were amazing the audio was beyond belief! The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio was magnificent! There were more than ample opportunities for the audio to show off a little throughout this entire film. Disaster, mayhem, and a self destructing earth are pristine ingredients for one heck of a surround sound symphony. My favorite sound scenes were any involving water and the massive Yellowstone eruption. The water just sounds great roaring around you and the bass used for both water and explosions was booming with adequacy.
So, was it done true blu style? Most definitely! It looked and sounded extremely amazing! There is no disappointment when it comes to the audio and visuals.
Boos and Ahhs
Talk about global obliteration! Roland Emmerich blew the smithereens out of oooooohhh, Id say just about EVERTHING. Even a limo got in on the action and drove head on right through a falling sky scraper. Whew, talk about destruction! The special effects were pretty amazing however unrealistic. What did you expect? Its an apocalypse movie, and boy was it ever a visual thrill ride.
So, we have ramping limos, speed limit abiding grannies (even as the world ends), crazy people, a vast amount of explosions, raining balls of fire, tsunamis, earthquakes, massive volcanic eruptions, plane crashes, car crashes, giraffes, and a very odd love story (Poor Gordon, did anyone even miss him?). Did I miss anything? Most likely yes, yes I did.
Emmerich sure came at us with explosive style, but weak substance. Id say a good bit of viewers will enjoy the utter demolition occurring, but not so much the story line. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few great tear jerking scenes, but other than that the plot could have been much more imaginative. It wasn’t original by any means, possibly added more about the Mayan calendar and given the character more substance. I must say the actors did wonders with what little they were given. John Cusack is fabulous and quite funny throughout the entire film. I’m not exactly sure if it was meant to be amusing, but it definitely came across that way. I was reminded a lot of The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Independence Day, and basically every other apocalyptic film out there, just a whole lot more destructive. Then considering Emmerich made several of them its not surprising. Its just his style.
Basically, I liked it. It was entirely too long, but still enjoyable in an extremely nervous and destructive kind of way. I would definitely say give it a go! Its an incredibly unbelievable, great high energy, edge of your seat thriller. Just sit back and enjoy the visual ride.
Special Features
Disc 1:
-Commentary with Writer/Director Roland Emmerich and co-writer Harold Kloser
– Alternate Ending
– (Blu-ray Exclusive) Picture-in-Picture: Rolands Vision
– BD Live
-movieIQ
Disc 2:
-Deleted Scenes
– Roland Emmerich: The Master of Modern Epic
-Adam Lambert Music Video: Time For Miracles
-Making the Video: Adam Lambert
-Interactive Mayan Calendar
-Designing the End of the World
-Science Behind the Destruction
-The End of the World: The Actors Perspective
-Countdown to the Future
Bonus Disc: Digital Copy
Okay, there are a ton of special features! They were all pretty entertaining and for the most part worth watching. Its exactly the intel that you would expect from this type of a film. You definitely get the goods here.