The Film
With his final (we can only hope) disaster film director Roland Emmerich borrows heavily from his own past films including Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, while injecting a bit of Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Titanic, When Worlds Collide (which is ironically being remade as well) and The Poseidon Adventure into the mix. The result is a film that might make you actually wish for the end of the world to save you from sitting through this 158 minute disaster.
The story of 2012 is typical and so clichéd that there are few surprises, and every one of the characters gets to do something unique and special - a plastic surgeon with virtually no flight experience pulls off advanced maneuvers, while an author turned chauffeur can drive better than a movie stuntman - these are just two examples. The film features nearly two hours of constant destruction of the world (where the viewer must forget that they'd be among the masses of dead), but the ensemble is mostly united in time for a beautiful sunset in a world reborn.
For another take on the world ending film, check out Lexi Feinberg's review.
The Picture
While the story is about as believable as most of the crackpot end of the world conspiracy theories, it looks really fine on Blu-ray. Presented in 2.40:1 1080p 2012 is eye popping - at least if seeing famous landmarks destroyed is your thing. Even with such intense action on the screen the picture is generally clear with vivid colors and plenty of haze and smoke to almost make it seem real.
The Sound
The 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack provides enough punch that your neighbors might indeed think the world is ending in your living room. The sound is very hot at times, but with a disaster film that's to be expected. However, unless it is the intent of the makers of the film, the sound effects never overpower the dialog, which comes through crystal clear, front and center. The sound separation is excellent, and this Blu-ray will have you feel like you're truly in the middle of armageddon.
The Extras
The two-disc Blu-ray Special Edition of 2012 offers loads of extras, almost enough for someone to deduce that the real conspiracy is how Emmerich basically stole so much material for this film! The bonus material includes an Interactive Mayan Calendar, several features that show what it took to make this film, a digital copy so you can watch it on the go, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and even an Adam Lambert music video - to truly summon the apocalypse!
Final Thoughts
While Emmerich has stated that this will be his final disaster film - which is why he didn't pull out any stops - we can only hope he holds true to it. As a movie, 2012 is the real disaster, but as a showcase of what Blu-ray can do, this one really shines. Great for demos and to see what your home theater system can do, just don't expect any surprises.
Product Details
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