Writer: Nur Safina Othman

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Watch this if you liked: Armageddon", "The Day After Tomorrow", "Earthqueake"

Is this how the apocalypse is like? If so, director Roland Emmerich surely knows how to paint a picture of desperate helplessness. Bettering his "Independence Day" (1996) on sci-fi effects and putting a twist on the Mayan doomsday prediction (the world is to end on 21 December 2012 via earthquakes and tsunamis), this epic disaster movie is everything it's cracked up to be and more.

In "2012", Man does everything he can to save himself and loved ones. We follow scientist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) as they brace themselves for total annihilation. The emotional hooks in this movie lies in the plot development where chosen ones can board ships that ferry them to safety and how only the rich can afford them. Government, corruption and the value of a human life, these are the themes that make "2012" a compelling watch.

Best performance goes to Chiwetel Ejiofor ("American Gangster", "Dirty Pretty Things") for heroic objections to his superior Carl Anheuser (played by Oliver Platt) who makes decisions on who to save and who not to save. John Cusack also excels as the determined father who risks his life for his family. However, in disaster movies we all want to know if the CGI is up to mark. In "2012" we are not disappointed. Collapsing buildings, monstrous tsunamis and powerful earthquakes never looked so good, except maybe the work done on the falling Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg could have been better.

Watching "2012" will evoke reflection on the audience's part - are we ready to die and what would we do if we really are facing the end days? The Mayans may prophecise many things but the undoubted truth remains that Man is less ponderous about matters of faith and fate unless threatened with death. A movie like "2012" will go some way towards reminding the cinemagoing world that what we have can be taken away. Although the 2 hours and 40 minutes is rather long and the climax isn't the most interesting, "2012" is still a disaster epic must-watch that won't be outdone for some time yet.

Cinema Online, 10 November 2009