FROM the man who has already brought us Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow comes another disaster epic. Some of Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster sequences are extraordinary, but the plot isn’t strong enough to cope with the unwieldy 151 minute running time. The opening half an hour of 2012 is woefully constructed, jumping years, cities and cliches with lethargic monotony. Suddenly disaster author Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) seems to have had some batteries installed. When Cusack picks up his folks in a limo and attempts to escape a breathtaking series of sequences involving collapsing freeways and buildings, this is Emmerich at his mesmerising best. Elsewhere, there’s precious little tension, no reason to care for any of the characters and a continuing realisation that if this is how the world is going to end then bring it on! Also out to buy for £19.99 (Blu-ray £24.99), the extras include deleted scenes and an alternative ending.Read
