Nov. 15, 2009
Apocalypse Soon: End Days at the Multiplex
"2012" and "The Road" Bring Global Cataclysm to the Big Screen
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California slides into the ocean (finally!) in the Doomsday film "2012." (Columbia Pictures)
For some reason we Americans have always relished a good doomsday scenario, but these days there are so many it's hard to keep them straight - deep freezes, aliens, zombie plagues.
In "2012," solar neutrinos microwave the Earth's core, so the crust cracks and oceans rise and billions of people die - and John Cusack tries to get back together with his wife, Amanda Peet.
Yes, it's a Roland Emmerich picture, which means it clunks back and forth between massive videogame-like special effects and "Love Boat"-style sub-plots where different characters try to muster up the courage to express their, you know, feelings.
OK, feelings have a place, even at the end of days; and the theme of holding onto our humanity in the midst of catastrophe is a noble one.
But even though "2012 has a lot of high-flown talk about whether humanity is worth saving if you have to resort to inhuman means, it's a lowdown piece of fear-mongering. It promotes the profitable 2012/doomsday fad, which revolves around the Mayan calendar, polar shifts, and - I'm not making this up - the planet "Nibiru."
There's no reason given for the dying of the Earth in another doomsday film, "The Road." Project on it what you will: The world that's left is all browns and grays - the color green is history.
(Dimension Films )
(Left: Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee.)
The movie is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, who writes about the age of good men and heroes, now passed. All that's left is blind forward motion on a possibly nowhere road for the sake of a child - the future of the species. The father kills and punishes; the son, the voice of humanism, argues for mercy and compassion.
On its own grueling terms, "The Road" is a triumph, a deeply evocative downer. But it's hard to say, "Go see it!"
Yes, it's a kind of therapy to see our fictional counterparts die in horrible ways, our cities crumble, our deepest anxieties come to pass. But I worry this obsession with apocalypse is turning into a fetish.
It's like we're all so confused about the state of our world, we can't wait to blow it up and start again.
David Edelstein Also Endorses:
For more info:
"2012" (Official Movie Web Site)
"The Road" (Official Movie Web Site)
"The Road" (Official Movie Web Site)
The Projectionist (David Edelstein's Movie Blog)
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- 2012 Was a bust. The cinematography was great but the sub par plot and the attempts to marry a weird kind of humor to the story line ruined it. It seems the writers and directors wanted to present a scary movie but wanted to be sure we did not take it seriously--lots of schtik comedy like when Woody is on top of a mountain in full nutcase gear, soaking up that any minute he will be blown up by a super volcano but saying he knew his fans all wanted to be right where he was. Or when a Russian mafia bosses lover gives him the finger after he stiffs her on a ticket on a boat.
We are supposed to feel good when this black guy whines about "oh the humanity" just because some of the rich people made it to China only to lose their seats when their ark is no longer functioning but then cheer when the rest of the arks finally take all of those stranded rich people on board at about 1 billion dollars a pop for seats? Lost on the stupid director and everyone else was the fact that all of the US and other countries--those too poor or not in the know or with no means to get to China or cough up 1 billion dollars per seat were lost? As for the girl who gave someone the finger--she ends up drowning and her lover falls off a cliff and her sugar daddy dies too(falls off the building) Nothing is ever said about what happens to his 2 fat twin sons who are left orphanless and obnoxious on the ark--they are about 10 years old and who takes care of them? The plot was really pitiful and in no way was up to the standards of the cinematography and computer magin--it was almost as if for the entire filming season, the director worked on making spectacular scenes then about 2 weeks before the movie was due in theaters, someone reminded him that he had to have an actual plot in order to make a movie so he threw that crap together.
This movie--in order to really enjoy it, should be with the sound turned off and just watch the buildings and land cave in--if you listen to the actual plot and try to follow it, the movie sucks a big one--if you watch the mayhem--you will probably realize that anyone of us could have made a more plausible and sympathetic story line. - Reply to this comment
- I think the Multiplex better watch out, it's own end may be coming a lot sooner when it does down in a blaze of crummy movies not worth seeing in the theatre, too-expensive popcorn you have to take a second mortgage out to buy, Bittorrent and 42 inch HD TVs.
I can watch any movie I want at home now, the screen is better, I can drink beer if I want, the sound is better, the popcorn has real butter on it, and costs next to nothing, and I can pause the movie and go take a whiz anytime I need. And, if I'm with my S.O. we can get nekkid if we want. - Reply to this comment
- I know a guy who believes in literally every dooms day scenario, theory, plot or conspiracy that comes his way. And I'm not kidding. He is well versed in the Mayan calendar thing and has pretty much memorized (all of his favorite parts of) Nostradamus and the Book of Revelation. He also likes to throw in a dose of extraterrestrially initiated cataclysm from time to time -- and sincerely believes it all. I love the guy like a brother, but damn it gets old.
Ultimately it does not matter if the world lasts another 8 billion years or ends before I finish this sentence. There ain't chit we could do about any of it. So let's party like it's 1999. - Reply to this comment
- I doubt the end will occur before 2018.
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- Let's bomb the end of the world!
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- Nothing's changed - whether a comet, some textual prophecy, bible codes, plagues, otherworldly aliens - we're always feeling inadequate and impotent about the destruction which we ourselves have brought. We want to see the world end suddenly because it beats angst and anxiety from the slow destruction that a greedy and overpopulated, religiously inadequate (just enough religion for hate but not enought for love) population has created. In short, we want a new savior. Beware, so did the people of Germany in 1931!
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- fear not Obama will save us!
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