Natural disasters have long been a staple of the big screen and a new movie set to hit theatres this week takes the genre to a new height. “2012” by director Roland Emmerich depicts cataclysmic disasters on a global scale brought about on December 21, 2012 – the mythical end of the Mayan calendar.
Disaster movies have shown tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis but rarely has a film been made that included every type of disaster imaginable. “2012” brings all disasters together with scenes of California falling off into the ocean, fireballs raining from the sky, the Sistine Chapel collapsing on devout worshipers and even the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy being dumped ashore on top of the White House by a giant wave.
An all-star cast featuring John Cusack, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Amanda Peet depict man’s struggle to survive the incredible calamity. As one of the movie’s fictional characters says, “Our mission is to ensure the continuity of our species.”
