Roland Emmerich's nearly three hour (158 minutes) depiction of the end of days, essentially revolves around divorced father Jackson Curtis, played by wide eyed John Cusack, who in the tradition of these doomsday films, gets his act together to play saviour for his estranged wife and two children.

 

Throughout the film, the four joined by several others during their journey, ensure that they land in all important places across America, so that the audience gets a good look at the tearing up of the earth's surface in Los Angeles, Vegas (right through the Vegas strip), Wyoming, New York city and Washington DC. The destruction of Rio Di Janeiro, Buenos Aires and St Peter's Basilica, is enough to show that the world is suffering too.

 

Based single-handedly on then abrupt manner in which the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 (a fact expertly established by the resident conspiracy theorist), the film should be watched for the pains taken to establish several end of the world scenarios. Do not forget to catch the one's in Vegas and Rio, apart from the one in Washington DC. No less can be expected from Emmerich, who had audiences shivering through his earlier film, The World After Tomorrow.

 

However, the film has too many issues, to take on the title of the ultimate disaster film. Here, the world ends with both an impressive bang and smaller whimper, the latter being the potholed, predictable script, bad characterisation and dialogues killing more than half the fun. Sample this - The President tells his daughter, “An unprecedented international venture is under way”. Or the scene in which Charlie, the conspiracy theorist tells “You'd have to be Bill Gates or Rupert Murdoch or some Russian billionaire”, speculating who all might get away.

 

Good actors like John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet and Oliver Platt are literally left gasping for breath, after they finish mumbling one jumbled line or another. Much of the humour is actually unintended as repeats of the same horror sequences give no goosebumps. As the solar flares cause havoc to earth, by the time the end rolls by, one cannot care less.