2012 Reviews

Emmerich favours hoisting his camera high and dry to give audiences the best panoramic view, but it removes all tension from proceedings - you're always at a safe distance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

Two and a half hours of heaving and cleaving and crashing and crunching.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5

Cusack, with his one-of-the-guys face and his nice way with child actors, does creditable work as an Average American Dad trying to put things right.

Full Review | Original Score: B

2012 is the rare case of a bad film that I'm nevertheless obliged to recommend you see.

Full Review | Original Score: B-

Most of all, I liked the airlifting of giraffes to ark safety via helicopter and the bizarrely unreasonable cheeriness of the beleaguered survivors who all but shout "hip-hip-hooray" after billions of other Earth citizens lose their lives.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5

Over the top scenes of destruction aside 2012 is generally unimaginative in every way, from conception to execution. It's not particularly bad, but never has the end of the world seemed so quaint.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10

At points, 2012 was tedious enough to make us feel like we were in the theater until 2012

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5

A headache inducing mess of apocalyptic proportions, 2012 is a woeful greatest hits package of disaster film clichés, mixed with shallow social commentary.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5

In line with the U.S.-centric heartbeat of 2012, most other nationalities, particularly the Russians, are viewed as imbeciles and/or mere extensions of crude stereotypes - clever Indians, honourable Chinese, stylish Italians, and so on.

Full Review

You don't have to say more than "it's a Roland Emmerich film" to get the full brunt of the quality of the production. Great visuals, but weak dialogue and scenarios.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4

It's cinematic waterboarding and there was more than one occasion during the film when I was convinced it was never going to end.

Full Review | Original Score: D+

I can't claim to have seen every terrible film in cinematic history, but in my fairly extensive watchography, 2012 is certainly in the top 5 worst ever.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5

Action-packed entertainment builds around efforts, not to prevent the destruction of the planet, but to plan for the continuation of the human race.

Full Review

It's the end of the world as we know it%u2026 again! But hand it to Roland Emmerich, an old hand at cinematic Armageddon, for making the apocalypse such an entertaining ride.

Full Review

The strongest thing about this movie is the "this I have to see" factor. If only the story had the same kind of groove going as the effects.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5

Berlin Alexanderplatz feels like a Saturday afternoon matinee compared to this.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/4

Even though the extras [on the DVD] are chock-a-block, they are still for a bad movie.

Full Review | Original Score: D+

The end of the world movie to end 'em all, it turns out to be a sort of cross between the sci-fi camptacular When Worlds Collide and every previous Emmerich movie. Guilty pleasures galore.

Full Review

Plausible plot points, great special effects and characters we care about. That's really about all you need to enjoy this Apocalypse Wow!

Full Review | Original Score: B+

Emmerich would be better off losing the pretense of respectability and embracing the B-movie showmanship that is clearly his strength.

Full Review | Original Score: D+