Gleefully over-the-top, this film takes the disaster movie pretty much as far as it can go
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11/25/09
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2012 (2009)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:199
Fresh:74
Rotten:125
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Roland Emmerich's 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Nov 13, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $108,131,263
Synopsis: Roland Emmerich has given movie watchers several apocalyptic films in the past in INDEPENDENCE DAY and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, and he offers another look at the end of the world in 2012. This... [More]
Starring: John Cusack, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt
Director: Roland Emmerich
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Reviews for 2012
It's missing the point to note that the patriotism on display in '2012' is embarrassingly shallow, as are Emmerich's genuflections to the value of faith. This is not a movie of ideas, but one of visceral thrills. On that level it's hardly inspired.
11/24/09
works best when it immerses us in the vulgar mayhem, rather than when it's asking us to care too deeply
11/23/09
In the final forty-five minutes the movie starts to feel very long and played-out.
11/23/09
What's so frustrating about "2012" is that it could have been a great action movie. If the special effects team can do their jobs, certainly better writers could have been hired. But no. Just try finding a surprise.
11/20/09
If you want to see the most incredible end-of-the-world footage rendered since Nic Cage's Knowing, buy a ticket. Otherwise, it'll look just fine on your television next year.
11/19/09
As the action becomes less fabulous and more repetitive over 2012's 150 minutes, the philosophical debate ratchets up.
11/19/09
An Oscar-caliber cast and dazzling visual effects can't rescue this formulaic disaster flick from a script flooded with generic dialogue and preposterous plot points.
11/19/09
A more delightfully bad movie hasn't been seen in all of 2009.
11/18/09
... the farfetched beginning is such a turn-off that as the story becomes more credible, we don't have much patience to forgive the absurdities that dominate the first half.
11/18/09
Emmerich's desire to cram as many hairbreadth escapes and eternities of suspense as possible into one movie ultimately feels more like an eternity plain and simple.
11/18/09
The worst sins of dialogue are visited upon the wonderfully soulful Chiwetel Ejiofor, who has to remind creepy government types that those massive high-tech arks are for all of us, not just the rich and powerful.
11/18/09
The special effects are pretty special but the plot is a drag
11/17/09
Here's a movie that's dopey, cheesy and sometimes downright silly. But it's a disaster movie. It's supposed to be ridiculous.
11/17/09
It's great to see Fred Astaire, er, Danny Glover back in the saddle as the President of the United States. It's the first time America elected a President whose campaign slogan was 'I'm too old for this s**t.'
11/17/09
...two hours and forty minutes of the same action scene recycled over and over again...
11/16/09
2012 is the expensive, large-scale version of the same spectacle presented by downmarket counterparts like the Final Destination and Saw franchises.
11/16/09
If they had just put a decent story with these fabulous special effects, this could have really been something special. "2012" could have done without so many of its characters like those two guys on the Love Boat.
11/16/09
2012 rarely convincingly places its stars in the midst of destruction.
11/16/09
Even though this movie’s running time of two and a half hours is about one hour too long, there’s still some pretty cool disaster stuff on the way.
11/16/09
Top CriticLatest News for 2012
November 15, 2009:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: 2012 Destroys the Competition
This weekend Audiences were warned - by Mayans and film critics alike - but moviegoers around the world still flooded the multiplexes to see Roland Emmerich's latest disaster... More...
November 14, 2009:
Emmerich doesn't mess around when intent on messing up the world for good. But his pop apocalypse multiplying man's worst fears, always goes down easy with a side order of popcorn. Apocalypse Wow.
More...
November 13, 2009:
Friday Harvest: Clash of the Titans, Kick-Ass, and more!
Happy Friday Harvest, a weekly round-up of the best pictures, posters, and videos that have become available for viewing/download on Rotten Tomatoes. Each section features the... More...
November 13, 2009:
Roland Emmerich Talks 2012 DVD/Blu-ray, Shakespeare Project, and More
Roland Emmerich is poised to destroy the world -- and rule the box office -- one more time with this weekend's release of "2012." What's next for Emmerich? Shakespeare. More...
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