“There
is nowhere to go to escape
from endless tidal waves sweeping
the Earth — unless you have the
money of the chosen few to ensure
your survival in the spectacular
epic movie 2012...”
THE FINAL DAY of the Mayan Calendar is 21 December 2012: never before has
a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, religions, scientists
and governments. It is believed that this is the day that civilisation as we
know it comes to an end and modern historians have tried for years to interpret
the prediction of the ancients.
Every 640,000 years a planetary alignment heralds significant changes. Some
say it will be a time of Enlightenment; when we connect with our spiritual selves.
Some say it will be the end of the world — the death of our planet. Visionary
Director/Writer Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow; Independence Day;
10,000BC) and Producer/Co-Writer Harald Kloser (10,000BC) have created
2012, an exciting, fast-paced mega-movie about a world-wide disaster
from which few can escape.
In India in 2009, Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor: Inside Man), Deputy
Geologist at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, is visiting his friend,
Dr Satnum Tsurutani (Jimi Mistry), an Astrophysicist. Satnum has made an alarming
discovery: the biggest sun eruptions in human history that are heating the Earth's
core to dangerous levels.
Adrian takes his findings to the influential Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt: Frost/Nixon)
in the United States. And by 2010 at the G8 Summit in British Columbia, scientists
are acknowledging that the world as we know it will come to an end.
Already the wealthy are making plans to escape the inevitable catastrophe and
by 2012 the Earth's crust is beginning to shift and large splits are appearing
as mini-quakes.
Jackson Curtis (John Cusack: Con Air), a chauffeur for Russian billionaire
Sasha (Johann Urb) and his two spoiled children Oleg (Philippe Haussman) and
Alec (Alexandre Haussman) has taken his own children Noah (Liam James) and Lilly
(Morgan Lily) camping in Yellowstone Park, having picked them up from former
wife Kate (Amanda Peet: Something's Gotta Give) and her new partner Gordon
Silberman (Tom McCarthy).
They find eccentric radio jock Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson: Zombieland)
and come across an area that has been blocked off because it is unstable. When
arrested and taken into custody, they are rescued by Adrian.
Things are hotting up and US President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover: Saw)
has declared a global emergency, sending his daughter Laura (Thandie Newton:
Crash) to safety. A motley group of people is making its way to the only
hope of salvation but will Jackson and his children be able to rescue Kate and
Gordon?
The earth's crust is destabilising and evacuation must begin. It is a case of
survival of the richest as the fight begins to risk life and limb to stay alive
and keep ahead of the devastation. Cleverly filmed with nail-biting tension,
2012 is phenomenal. As unpredictable fissures appear in the earth and
colossal tsunamis send torrents of water thundering over the land, how many
will reach sanctuary?
Despite the seriousness of the topic, there are amusing moments. When Gordon
expresses his insecurity, telling Kate something is pulling them apart, within
seconds, the floor splits between them.
The groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action sequences are astonishing.
Compelling drama and visual effects meld to give 2012 a 'don't-miss'
verdict from the critics. It is a very human story with wonderful characters,
attempts at reconciliation and the healing of old wounds, selfless displays
of heroism, cold-hearted determination to stay alive and words of wisdom from
the Lama. I found the destruction of the skyscrapers rather disturbing, especially
in the light of 9/11. Very emotional.
"Cleverly filmed with nail-biting tension, 2012 is phenomenal" —
Maggie Woods, MotorBar
"The best disaster movie ever — superbly suspenseful and thrilling from
start to finish. Unmissable. 10/10" — Daily Star
• In the year 2010, prepare for excitement
beyond your wildest imagination: The end of the world is the beginning of a
spectacular adventure when global box office sensation ($711 million worldwide)
2012 arrives on Blu-ray and DVD, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment,
on 29 March 2010. Blu-ray: £24.99; DVD: £19.99 | Certificate: 15 | Running Time:
158 Minutes Approximately.
Special Features
DVD: Commentary with Writer/Director Roland Emmerich and Co-Writer Harald
Kloser | Deleted Scenes | Alternate Ending | Roland Emmerich: The Master of
the Modern Epic (an intimate look at one of Hollywood's most revolutionary filmmakers).
Blu-ray: movieIQ and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on
the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie | Interactive Mayan
Calendar — Enter a date to reveal your horoscope and personality profile
and delve ever further into the secrets by watching Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar
| Picture-in-Picture: Roland's Vision, Includes Pre-Visualization, storyboards
and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with filmmakers, cast and crew
| Commentary with Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser | Deleted Scenes | Alternate
Ending | Designing The End Of The World | Roland Emmerich: The Master Of The
Modern Epic | Science Behind The Destruction | The Blu-ray Disc version of 2012
is BD-Live enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the disc via
an Internet-connected Blu-ray player | Download content, give feedback through
an exclusive survey, and register for rewards.
2012 also features: George Segal as Tony Delgatto; Blu Mankuma as Harry Helmsley;
Zlatko Buric as Yuri Karpov; Beatrice Rosen as Tamara; John Billingsley as Professor
West; Chin Han as Tenzin; Osric Chan as Nima; Ryan McDonald as Scotty; Stephen
McHattie as Captain Michaels; Lisa Lu as Grandmother Sonam; Henry O as Lama
Rinpoche; Patrick Baucham as Roland Picard; Agam Darshi as Aparna Tsuratani;
Kinua McWatt as Yoko Delgatto and Chang Tseng as Grandfather Sonam. 2012
was inspired in part by Graham Hancock's book Fingerprints Of The Gods.
Director of Photography is Dean Semler, acs, asc; Music is by Harald Kloser
and Thomas Wander; Produced by Harald Kloser, Mark Gordon (The Day After
Tomorrow) and Larry Franco (Batman Begins); Executive Produced by
Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow) and Michael Wimer
(10,000BC); and Directed by Roland Emmerich. Theatrical Release: Columbia
Pictures.
“There
is nowhere to go to escape