Netflix movie of the day: 2012 is a spectacular blockbuster even if it feels a little past its expiry date
Get a front row seat to the end of the world
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Every day, we cut through the bottomless list of streaming options and recommend something to watch. See all ourNetflix movie of the daypicks, or ourPrime Video movie of the daychoices.
Released in 2009,2012is the “wake up, sheeple!” of blockbuster movies: it took the idea of massive climate change, decided it wasn’t visual or scary enough, and amped up the apocalypse to suggest that the end of the world was just a few years away. Fortunately for us that didn’t quite happen, and we’re now looking at2012in the rear view mirror. And from where we’re sitting it’s a very big, very silly, very spectacular blockbuster, available onNetflix, that’s a feast for the eyes if not for the brain.
It actually feels even older than it is: there’s a distinct 1980s “let’s blow stuff up!” vibe to it all. The FX are excellent and so is the cast. ThinkIndependence Daywith climate change rather than space aliens. It’s not a great movie, but it’s great fun.
Is 2012 a good movie?
No, but it’s a good bad movie thanks to those special effects: a lot of money has been spent on creating climate disaster and there’s tons of on-screen destruction. However, according toDeep Focus Reviewthe film itself is “a cheesy, one-dimensional, epic-sized spectacle” – one that delivers on its promise to “destroy the Earth”.
This is a Roland Emmerich movie, with all that entails: the director always delivers on the visuals; the plot and characterization, not so much.Deadspindescribes his career thus: “The world blows up. The world blows up a lot. The world blows up fantastically. There are worst quests in life.”
And there’s no doubt that there’s plenty to enjoy on-screen. AsMovie Talksays, “Volcanoes spew lava bombs, earthquakes tear up city blocks, skyscrapers topple, California sinks beneath the waves, and it’s an amazing thrill ride.” Or asEmpiresays, it’s “Fundamentally terrible, but almost irresistibly entertaining.”
Perfect mid-week fodder if the rest of thebest Netflix moviesfeel like they might ask a bit too much of the ol' gray matter, then.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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