Movie Release: 2012

2012

Diretor: Roland Emmerich

Stars: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chwetel Ejifor

Rating: PG-13

The end is not near enough for this latest nihilistic disaster flick, directed by endofthe-world specialist Roland Emmerich (“The Day After Tomorrow,” “IndependenceDay”). The film hews close to genre standards: The redeemed deadbeat dad (John Cusack), the coming together of different peoples, the toppling of monuments.

The cause of destruction this time is neutrinos from the sun that have heated the earth’s core and destabilized the planet’s crust. Cusack and others skip narrowly ahead of the shifting tectonics; California falls into the ocean and much of the world follows suit.The most grounded thing here is the acting. Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Plattand Woody Harrelson almost convince you something decent is at work in “2012.”But it’s just another doomsday film, with new digital effects and stock scenes patchedtogether from classics and more recent films.