Jackson is a divorcee who has a strained relationship with his ex-wife (Amanda Peet; "The X-Files: I Want to Believe"), her new husband, and their kids. He is no one particularly important, simply a limo driver, but he accidentally learns of a rumored catastrophe from his wealthy Russian boss. Reacting to the oncoming situation, he convinces his ex-family to come with him to safety; if there is anywhere safe, since the whole world is falling apart.
The cast is sufficiently serious or upset, depending on the scene, but the authenticity of emotion rarely comes through. Certainly, you don't want this family to be killed but the viewer learns so little about each one of them that it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were lost. The politician characters are torn about their difficult decisions and there is of course a selfish person in the inner circle who ruthlessly protects his own interests. The plots and characters of Emmerich's disaster films are becoming rote and utterly predictable. The story-telling in "2012" ultimately feels lazy and uninspired. Lastly, the reason for the disaster is never truly explained. None of the supernatural elements of the Mayan end-of-days are explored and no sufficient scientific explanation truly ties the multiple disasters together. But for those with a disaster fetish the movie will keep you reasonably entertained up until the eventual finale.
Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language.
