End of the world
Pack up and run?
Bhagya Senaratne and Disna Mudalige
The fate of humanity at the edge of a sudden world catastrophe is
fascinatingly depicted in the latest movie ‘2012’ by Roland Emmerich. As
the title implies, doomsday falls in 2012 and the danger of human
extinction is signaled. Knowing this, it becomes a question of
selection, as to who will die and who will live!
This film is based on a popular prophecy of the Mayan calendar which
comes to an end on December 21, 2012. Centered around this prophecy, a
thrilling and exciting experience has been crated for the audience. The
earth’s core is heating up and the crust is crumbling. The elite are
trying to escape through a secret hide out in the depths of the
Himalayans, paying billions to save their families.
The story is spun around several characters, who come together to
paint the bigger picture. Jackson Curtis played by John Cusack, is a
writer who has two kids. He is joined by his ex-wife Kate Cutis who is
played by Amanda Peet and her new companion Gordon Silberman (Thomas
McCarthy); all making a story of an ordinary family trapped in the
tragedy.
The noble geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the President
of the United States (Danny Glover) and his daughter (Thandie Newton)
are some more significant characters that appear in the movie, who
attempt to spread humanity amidst the devastation and chaos.
Carl Anheuser played by Oliver Platt plays a bitter role in the film,
as someone who is business minded, trying to maintain order and
bureaucracy amidst the havoc. This goes on to show that there are people
like him, who are selfish, who cannot be changed, even as the heat rises
under their feet, literally!
The film also accommodates a role of an eccentric guy Charlie Frost
played by Woody Harrelson, whom everybody thinks is ‘crazy’, but who
knows the approaching misfortune and tries to make people aware of it.
The first to discover the approaching disaster is an Indian, who later
becomes the victim of the same.
Likewise, the film has carefully chosen and placed the characters
around the world, and this has enabled the director to show the extent
of catastrophe, faced not just by a single part of the world, but the
entire humanity. This further goes to show that once disaster hits, the
whole world will have to face it equally!
Special effects used in the film is breathtaking. A staggering
$200million has been spent for this movie. It was seen that the audience
fearful and watching eagerly to see how the family will escape as Cusack
drove a limo through the streets of Los Angeles while the roads and
flyovers crack and crumble all around him, encountering the danger
several times over. These earthquakes were the first warning signs of
the forthcoming catastrophe.
In spite of the suspense and excitement created in the film, it lasts
for more than two and half hours and the audience tended to feel that
some scenes repeated. However, the visual effects can be commended as
they contributed in ensuring that the audience was not bored throughout
the movie.
Having watched the movie, we were also reminded of one of Emmerich’s
earlier movies “The Day After Tomorrow”. Even though the film is about
the world’s end, it provides entertainment with dialogues full of humor.
The film was co-written by Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser and was
released recently. Now the Sri Lankan audience too can enjoy this movie
at EAP group cinemas, following the movie premiere at the Savoy cinema.
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