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Old 19th November 2009, 11:38 AM
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Gojirosan Gojirosan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 42ndStreetFreak View Post
"2012".


****HERE BE VARIOUS SPOILERS****


The CGI FX went from the ho hum to the outstanding and 'fun in destruction' time was had.
But even that felt strangely 'local'.
The film basically just followed the main characters around so we only saw destruction when they saw it, as such this 'global' apocalypse was almost entirely shown to have just hit America, a patch of India and a monk on a mountain in Tibet!

Much of the action is very very silly and unlikely and was also very repetitive, with a vehicle/plane escape sequence then being followed directly by another vehicle/plane sequence.

Elsewhere all was pretty much dire. And as hypocritical, two-faced and confused on what its stance is as you could imagine.
Cookie cutter characters made less than compelling cinema and anyone could have written this stuff as we have seen it all before.
We have on the roll call of tedium......

Ex-Spouses still in love.
Short end of the stick new love/step dad.
Angst-ridden kids.
Comedy kids.
Ruthless (White American only) politicians.
Ruthless and contemptible rich people.
Noble and perfect anyone who wasn't a white American politician.
A self-sacrificing 'people's President' (seems disaster only strikes when America has a Black President as well!)
An eccentric profit of doom.
A dumb, heart of gold, blonde.
A cute dog.
A Government guy (Black) who sees the wrong and ensures those naughty White people come to their selfish senses.

All dull, all very predictable and full of hypocrisy. Some of which it takes on but only unintentionally I think.
Much is made of not being selfish...and yet the 'Ark' and all the thousands on it are nearly destroyed because a bunch of good guys tried to sneak on and thus mess the door up!

And as for all the bleating about people being chosen...well many people would indeed have to be certain types of people with certain skills and knowledge to rebuild things.
The screenplay though throws cheap shots at this actually understandable plan by mentioning the picking of 'best breeding types' (where did THAT come from?) and people who have paid to get on.
But then it also back tracks on these criticisms....

Oliver Platt's much maligned character takes all this criticism but in a throwaway line he states that actually NO ONE would be going anywhere if those 'rich scum' had not paid billions to get on the 'Arks' and thus fund them.

And when the achingly hand-wringing Chiwetel Ejiofor moans that all the 'Ark' builders are being left behind (the good honest working Communist Chinese man) Platt, wonderfully, declares that he is free to give away his pass TO one of those good honest Chinese Communist working men if he so wants...he does not want!
So much for that bit of bleeding heart posturing then.

And really it does (in a film full of it) go too far into Capitalist, Western self-loathing when the rooms on the 'Ark' are shown to have enough room to house far more than just the one person allocated to them (they even include silver goblets!).
Sorry, but I find it offensive (and not remotely backed up in any way) that the makers assume that those evil White, Western, Capitalist pigs would care about the silverware having room than people having room!
Where and when was this film written, on a 60's Hippie commune?

Hypocrisy, racism, blatant socialism and confusion rule everywhere.
The film has anyone in positions of power or authority who are deeply religious (the one and only get out clause for White authority figures) be braver and more noble and yet then proceeds to wipe them all out with great gusto! The Pope/Vatican scene is a hoot!

It then has ALL non-White characters ALL be the most honest, noble and correct (from Tibetan monks, Chinese workers, betrayed by the Americans Indian scientists, mixed marriage sons with racist white Fathers, Black Presidents, and Black Government workers) and has ALL White characters (with any real screen-time)in any position of authority be scheming, self-serving and always wrong.

That (like poor picked on Mexico and The Middle East being the one and only places left for those Western Imperialists to live in "The Day After Tomorrow") the only place in the entire world left above water in "2012" is Africa seems telling!
So civilisation returns to its cradle as all that was decadent and corrupt is wiped away and so dear people...at last...we are ALL Africans now.

The final shot in the film looks like a poster Robert Mugabe and the Black Panthers would have on their walls.

And oh yeah...For all it's oh so noble and caring stance for film does the most ruthlessly cynical, down right immoral, thing out...
It makes sure the now unwanted other man and love rival (the BEST "I've only had 2 lessons" pilot in the World!) is routinely killed off before the 'we're a loving family again now' finale!
oh, very nice and noble!

If this is the end of the world...count me out.


THis is all very well, but you are missing the important issue...


...do Amanda Peet and Thandie Newton look foxy? Rowr...
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