2012 (2009)

A frustrated writer struggles to keep his family alive when a series of global catastrophes threatens to annihilate mankind.

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writers:

Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser

Stars:

John Cusack, Thandiwe Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor

5 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cusack	...	Jackson Curtis
Amanda Peet	...	Kate Curtis
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Adrian Helmsley
Thandiwe Newton	...	Laura Wilson (as Thandie Newton)
Oliver Platt	...	Carl Anheuser
Tom McCarthy	...	Gordon Silberman
Woody Harrelson	...	Charlie Frost
Danny Glover	...	President Thomas Wilson
Liam James	...	Noah Curtis
Morgan Lily	...	Lilly Curtis
Zlatko Buric	...	Yuri Karpov
Beatrice Rosen	...	Tamara
Alexandre Haussmann	...	Alec
Philippe Haussmann	...	Oleg
Johann Urb	...	Sasha

Storyline

Dr. Adrian Helmsley, part of a worldwide geophysical team investigating the effect on the earth of radiation from unprecedented solar storms, learns that the earth's core is heating up. He warns U.S. President Thomas Wilson that the crust of the earth is becoming unstable and that without proper preparations for saving a fraction of the world's population, the entire race is doomed. Meanwhile, writer Jackson Curtis stumbles on the same information. While the world's leaders race to build "arks" to escape the impending cataclysm, Curtis struggles to find a way to save his family. Meanwhile, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes of unprecedented strength wreak havoc around the world.

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Plot Keywords:

apocalypse | earthquake | end of the world | elizabeth i character | juvenile bedwetting | 

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Taglines:

The end is just the beginning.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie Frost's animation about the end of the world heavily references the animated Internet meme, "The End of ze World", which centers around the idea that humanity will kill itself as a whole before any natural disaster would ever have the time to destroy it.

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Goofs

In the many shots of the light twin aircraft, the ailerons are fully deflected during turns, but the aircraft's bank angle remains the same. When ailerons are deflected, the bank angle will continue to increase, eventually rolling the aircraft upside-down.

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Quotes

Harry Helmsley: I barely see my boy, but at least we talk.
Tony Delgatto: About what?
Harry Helmsley: Life, and how short it is.

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Crazy Credits

The opening scene of the movie shows the years and events leading up to 2012 (2009...2010...2011). The title card not only states the movie's title, but also seems to indicate, "And in the year 2012..."

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Alternate Versions

There were some deleted scenes that were featured on the DVD:

• Jackson drives Alec and Oleg to the airport while trying to get through some doomsdayers.
• President Wilson and his secretary Sally talk about plans to make arrangements to address the nation one last time.
• After the discovery that the impact drill is stuck and before the mega-tsunami hits, Anheuser blames Adrian for what his decision cost them and makes a comment about having sex with Laura. Dr. Helmsley punches him before taking Laura and some crew members down to the Hydraulics Chamber.
• Jackson finds Gordon's cell phone under the water after Gordon was crushed by the gears.
• In a follow-up to the alternate ending, Anheuser (after hearing that Dr. Helmsley's dad is still alive) apologizes to Dr. Helmsley for what he said.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Twenty-Eight Hits for Laughs: 2012 Catastrophical Part One (2012)

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Soundtracks

Minuet
from "String Quintet In E Major, Op. 11 No. 5"
Written by Luigi Boccherini
Performed by Borealis String Quartet

User Reviews

Heavy and absurd..

After watching this movie I really needed time to figure out what to think of it. I heard a lady sharing her first comment to her friend: 'That dog sure was ugly'. What else was there to say? After a while I found out:

The action was truly formidable, demonstrating the power of 'mother nature'. Collapsing buildings, jumping flaming cars, planes falling down and manage to pull up a second before touchdown, it was a real trip and a feast for the eyes and ears.

But then again... the acting wasn't that good, a bit over the top. In one scene in the movie, where every wasted second could be the cause of a terrible disaster, *they* waste their time being...ROMANTIC! At times like that the acting became very juicy, making me think I was watching 'Titanic' instead.

One point of advise: Do not take this movie too seriously. It's almost stuffed with jokes instead of showing us the real drama of an earth that is about to be destroyed. But keep this in mind and you'll have a heck of a 2 hours and 40 minutes(!) in a movie that is made for the cinema.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Tibetan Mandarin Russian Hindi Portuguese Latin Italian Spanish

Release Date:

13 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Farewell Atlantis

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$65,237,614, 15 November 2009

Gross USA:

$166,112,167

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$791,217,826

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Centropolis Entertainment, Farewell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS Dolby Atmos (Ultra HD Blu-ray release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1