Jeri Jacquin

Currently on 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from writer/director Roland Emmerich and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the disaster of 2012.

Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a frustrated writer who has found himself now a chauffer driver of rich Russian Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric). Spending the weekend with kids Noah (Liam James) and Lilly (Morgan Lily), ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) is not surprised that he is late picking them up.

That is not the biggest worry in the world, that would come from Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who has been given bad news about the planet. Getting that bad news to Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) at the White House means telling the President Wilson (Danny Glover) as well.

Jackson takes the kids camping and meets Charlie (Woody Harrelson) who tries to explain that the world is about to experience its end. Believing that Charlie is a one card short of a full deck, Jackson takes it in stride. That is until a phone call from Kate after a hard earthquake brings them all home. While taking Yuri’s kids to the airport, Jackson feels the ground shake under his feet – now he is a believer.

Grabbing Kate, the kids and her husband Gordon (Tom McCarthy) – they all hit the road just as everything around them is literally coming down. The one thing Jackson knows now is that getting back to Charlie to get more information is essential. Helmsely must break the news that everything he predicted is now speeding up rapidly and their plan for survival must start now.

Meeting up with Yuri in Las Vegas, Jackson and his crew and the Russian and his family jump on the plane to find the arks Charlie spoke of. What they never expected was what they will find and how much harder their journey will be to survive the destruction of their world.

Cusak as Curtis is trying to recover from writing a book that did not do so well and a family that has moved on without him. Once the planet become erratic, the character of Curtis goes into hyper-survival mode and Cusak does what he does best – gives us a character that you can believe even with all his flaws. Peet as Kate still cares about Curtis even though he makes her nuts. Convinced that Curtis is their only hope, she stands by him and protects her children.

Ejiofor as Helmsley is a man who must bring the news to the President. Then a plan is put in place but even as that is happening, Helmsley knows that something is not quite right with how it is playing out. When it becomes clear, Helmsley fights for saving as man human beings as they can – no matter who they are. Platt as Anhauser is just how everyone sees a politician – a little crooked and a lot concerned for himself more than anyone else.

Buric as Yuri is a rich Russian who get the tickets for his family the usual way – lots of money paid. The strange thing is I find Yuri an amusing character. McCarthy as Gordon isn’t happy with having to be saved by his wife’s ex-husband but he does his part to get the family away from danger.

Harrelson as Charlie is terrific, trippy, funny, a little left of center and I absolutely loved his time on the screen.

Other cast include Thandie Newton as Laura Wilson, Beatrice Rosen as Tamara, Alexandre Haussmann as Alec, Philippe Haussmann as Oleg, and Johann Urb as Sasha.

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The Special Features include Discovery Channel’s 2012 Apocalypse, Theatrical Trailers, Picture-in-Picture Roland’s Vision, Commentary with Writer/director Roland Emmerich and Co-writer Harald Kloser, Alternate Ending, Interactive Mayan Calendar, Designing the End of the World, Roland Emmerich: The Master of the Modern Epic, Science Behind the Destruction, The End of the World: The Actor’s Perspective, Countdown to the Future, Deleted Scenes, “Time for Miracles” Music Video by Adam Lambert.

It is no secret to anyone who knows me or knows my film habits that I love a disaster film. I mean I LOVE watching things fall apart around the human race because it also shows the best in people. Of course, you will have a few characters that you want to throw in the nearest hole in the earth but, in general, its about survival and helping those around them to survive.

There is also this amazing creativity in that survival by the characters in these films and Roland Emmerich knows how to get that into all his films. Let’s face it, he has shown us some serious disasters with the films INDEPENDENCE DAY and DAY AFTER TOMORROW. The film 2012 takes that even further because there is not a moment to take a breath but instead feeling part of the group trying to survive.

That is what makes these films so great and 2012 is stunning in scope, special effects (that you forget are special effects) and the fight for humanity against mother nature.

In the end – the end is just the beginning!

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About the Author

Jeri Jacquin

Jeri Jacquin covers film, television, DVD/Bluray releases, celebrity interviews, festivals and all things entertainment.