Blu-Ray Review:
2012 Two-Disc Edition
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
Current rottentomatoes.com score 39% Fresh: 84 Rotten: 131
2012 is a movie that you will either hate or love. Going by the score above most critics did not like the film. You really have to take this type of film and put it in perspective. You turn off your brain and hopefully enjoy the ride! The story is about the end of the world and basically encompasses all disaster movies in to one giant spectacle. Some people believe that in 2012 the world will end, they say that the Mayans predicted this many years ago. The movie is loosely based off this premise. In the beginning they realise that the unthinkable is happening and the government get's to work on a way to preserve the species. The movie follows Jackson Curtis played by John Cusak. He is a author who has split from his wife. He takes his kids on a trip to Yellowstone. While he is there he meets a conspiracy nut named Charlie Frost. Frost tells him about how the world is going to end and that the government is building spaceships to save people. Jackson races to save his family and ends up joining up with his boss who happens to be a really rich Russian. They are all on there way to a secret facility. Jackson and his crew escape death so many times it's hard to count. The special effects are really well done, and if you like disaster movies this one has it all. It's an ok movie but just don't expect much in believability or plot. I say if you have a chance see the film there are worse things you could do than check out for a couple of hours.
7 out of 10
Video
2012 arrives on Blu-ray in it's original aspect ratio of 2:39.1. It's certainly a treat for the eyes. There is eye candy at every turn. Colours are fantastic and leap off the screen in many scenes. Black levels are strong throughout and are at their inky best. The darker scenes in the movie look fantastic which is great. Detail is impressive as seen in the scene where they are at the Indian mining facility. There are lots of details like metallic structures that look razor sharp. Above ground detail is fantastic as well. Even the SFX shots look clear for the most part. Huge vistas of mountains or Tibetan sanctuary's being hit by tidal waves look fantastic. One thing that impressed me is that in certain scenes it was difficult to know whether it was an effect or not. That's hefty praise considering most of this movie was shot with a green screen. With the added resolution of HD you can even make out things that happen far off in the distance. When Jackson and family are escaping in a plane you can make out humans falling off freeways to tanker trucks being dropped like they are a kids toy. Flesh tones are natural throughout which is also good. There was no visible scratches or debris on the film which is what you would expect from a new movie like this. Also a fine layer of film grain is present throughout which is nice. They have done a spectacular job here and fans of the movie will not be disappointed.
9 out of 10
Audio
Sony has given us an absolutely fantastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It starts out strong and never lets up. It's so aggressive that you might actually think a disaster is taking place in your living room. The rear speakers are literally set on fire! They provide so much in your face audio it's crazy. Whether it's the beat of helicopter blades to the crashing water hitting the monastery. The sonic assault is awesome! Music also plays a big part in this track. It focus heavily in the front channels but filters out into the rest of the channels when needed. The LFE channel is also heavily active as one would expect from a movie such as this. Whether it's lending weight to explosions or the crumbling of buildings it kicks you right in the face! Dialogue is also well mixed and for the most part does not get lost in all that is going on. Directional effects are used throughout the film and the pan from speaker to speaker is handled with ease. Sony has produced a track that could vie for sonic experience of the year it's that good!
10 out of 10
Extras
Here is what is included in the way of extras
Disc 1
Commentary featuring Writer/Director Roland Emmerich and Co-Writer Harald Kloser
Picture-in-Picture: Roland's Vision
alternate ending
MovieIQ
Trailers
BD-Live
Disc 2
Interactive Mayan Calendar
Designing the End of the World
Roland Emmerich: The Master of the Modern Epic
Science Behind the Destruction
The End of the World: The Actor's Perspective
Countdown to the Future
five deleted scenes
music video by Adam Lambert
Disc 3
Digital Copy
As you can see there are a lot of extras on this release. First let me talk about the commentary. If you want info about how the movie was made you will find it in spades here. My only problem is the way it's delivered. You see it's just plain boring to listen too. So unless you're a big fan I suggest you skip it. I would watch the PIP track instead of the commentary. It covers a lot of the same material but shows you interviews with the cast and behind the scenes video. It's far more fun to watch. I am so glad they did not go with the alternate ending. It's much worse and utter cheese! But I am glad they included it here, because it's quite interesting to see what could have been.
On Disc 2 my favorite extra would have to be Designing the End of the World. It was quite cool to see behind the scene video, because it was hard to tell what was effect work and what was shot for real. This is your standard behind the scenes piece but it does have some good background in it. I also enjoyed "Countdown to the Future" which goes into the Mayan calender and all the predictions associated with 2012. The Interactive Mayan Calendar is actually broken up into 4 parts. The 4 parts allow users to get their Horoscopes, learn about there character traits and it also discusses the Mayan calender and the predictions. Roland Emmerich: The Master of the Modern Epic has cast and crew praising Roland, but that's about it. Science Behind the Destruction goes into more depth about the science used in the film. It really shocked me that there was any science used at all ;) Overall this is a good set of extras for fans of the film.
8 out of 10
Overall
This is a fantastic set that gives you awesome video, outstanding audio and a good collection of extras. Fans of the movie will be pleased.
9 out of 10