2012 Doomsday
release year: 2008
genre: apocalyptic drama
viewing setting: home DVD, 1/26/13
synopsis: The world is ending, but rather than focus on what that would be like and how governments and people would react or try to stop it or try to save themselves...this movie instead focuses on multiple different people who mysteriously feel drawn to an ancient Mayan temple in South America.
impressions: Not only do we have here a "worst movie I've watched in 2013" contender, but we also have one that I actually decided to stop watching - something I almost never do. I thought I was getting a cheaper knock-off of 2012 because that's what this company does - make cheaper knockoffs of upcoming big-budget movies, to cash in on their popularity. However...this was actually trying to be some sort of religious drama too. And that would have been okay, except that the message was heavy-handed and utterly beyond the realm of possibility. For example, not once but twice with two different pairs of people, one character works on convincing a companion that they need to embrace religion...and then when they get where they're going, the first character abruptly vanishes! Twice! And rather than wonder why or how (much less actually try to find the missing person) the second person just instantly becomes a believer and continues on their way without any questions or use of higher reasoning. I was already upset at that point, but when a car drove through a hailstorm, weaving to dodge the hail (which makes no sense, both because the hail was tiny and also because when all the hail is the same size and there's a ton of it, there's really no dodging it) and then a larger piece of hail smashed through the windshield and MORTALLY WOUNDED THE DRIVER...that was bad. And then, as he was sitting there dying from a hail wound, the lady next to him started telling him that everything would be okay as long as he believed...no. No more. At 1:08:27, the pain ended for me as I hit the "eject" button.
quotable: "Something's happening...I just wish I knew what." This quote kind of sums up this entire movie.
something this movie has that no other movie has: In addition to the lethal hail, there's another person being mortally wounded thanks to GETTING HIT WITH A CAR DOOR AS SHE GOT OUT OF THE CAR. Really?
acting: I refuse to address this. However, Sara Tomko (who played the immaculately-conceived pregnant woman) is a good-looking woman.
final word: Waste of time whether you want a disaster movie or a religious movie; I can't see how anyone would benefit from watching this.
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