Didim Today

Annihilation has never looked so good. It seems that director Roland Emmerich had saved all his drive for total destruction for this big bang. Take my word for it; Roland Emmerich was born to make movies of destruction.

 

After launching an alien invasion (Independence Day), destroying New York with a giant lizard (Godzilla), plunging the earth into a deep freeze (The Day After Tommorow) and even transporting us back to the stone age (10,000 BC), he tops it all off by destroying the entire world altogether with 2012. You can almost imagine the director smiling with glee when watching this flick.

The movie is based upon prophecies stating that the Mayan calendar's end-date on December 21, 2012 marks the end of the world as we know it. Throw in some scientific details like a giant solar flare, crust displacement and you have the perfect excuse to unleash mega volcanoes, gigantic earthquakes and massive tsunamis all across the globe.

A staple of disaster films are the people we are able connect with, and 2012 has hordes of them. While there is no true central character, the movie does pay lots of emphasis on divorced chauffeur (and failed author) Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and the estranged relationship he has with his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and children.

Other notable characters include resident villain Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric), zany blogger Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) and US President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover). In many ways the film highlights on family bonds and the sacrifices one make when facing such inevitable doom. There are some rather touching moments, only marred slightly by the fact that you could mostly pick out who survives and who doesn't.

Clearly story wasn't the main draw of the film, but it's nice to see that some effort was put into it. Roland Emmerich's movies are akin to a rollercoaster ride. You know the twists and turns to expect, but nothing will prepare you for the actual thrills that follow. The destruction of California, Los Angeles is nothing short of magnificent, with such spectacular CGi visual effects that are so eerily realistic they'll give you the chills.

The level of intensity can get truly ridiculous in some parts, and repeatedly you're led to believe that the worst has passed, only to be sucked into another joyride. Imagine every disaster movie genre imaginable melded together and you're not far off.

A nice touch though, was how global the movie was, with events taking place from India to China and characters from Russia, England, France, Japan and so on. It also shows how, in the face of certain annihilation, the human race is able to come together, put aside any differences, and work alongside each other to continue existing.

Roland never intended for any of his movies to be taken seriously, and if you are to enjoy 2012, it's best you sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Malaysian Today