A Lesson in Humanity

What is there to say about 2010? It's got action, drama, love, suspense and a big budget. A large comeback roll for John Cusak who's mainly known for small or obscure films in the 90's and being a part of the 80's movie revolution. The movie is loosely based on the Mayan prediction that in the year 2012 on December 12th the world will come to an end. Cusak who plays Jackson Curtis learns of this conspiracy on a trip with his children to Yellowstone and in looking for the spot where he and his ex-wife Kate, played by Amanda Peete; used to go in their early days. They run across a government post and a crazy conspiracy theory junkie played by Woody Harelson and start learning about the "end of days"

Back in California there are many mini earthquakes that leave some extensive but no devastating damage. However, when Jackson learns from his boss's children that they are going off to the "Ships" Jackson races to rescue his family and ex-wife and new boyfriend from their house before it winds up a pile of rubble. This starts a race around the world and landing in Las Vegas, meet up with Yuri the Russian he worked for and his pilot who steal the last known large plane and make it off the runway before Las Vegas collapses in a pile of rubble. In the end, they think that they will have to land in the water, but due to the earths plates shifting they wind up exactly where they need to be in the high mountains of China were the ships have been built and are awaiting the tidal wave of water.

Another story also running between Jackson and the characters racing to get to the ships is that of the people of the United States government who have all the scientific information in hand regarding the natural destruction of the earth, but also deals with their evacuation of the top people around the world. Scientist Adrian Helmsley has been working numerous years on the research and answers to the Carl Anheuser who is in charge of setting up the evacuation. When Adrian finally understands that seats were sold to the highest bidders for the ships and that people were chosen based on bloodlines and worth, Adrian becomes obsessed with the wrongness of the situation. Toward the end of the movie Adrian makes an announcement to all the leaders of all the ships and appeals to their sense of humanity to open the doors to those that are still waiting and who would wait till their dooms to let them aboard the ships. The speech he makes is a moving one, and one of the most poignant points he makes is that " The moment we stop fighting for each other, that's the moment we lose our humanity. " Because when you really start to think about it you know this statement is so very true in the lives that we live today.

So aside from all of the awesome visual effects, stunts and the awesome destruction of the world we know, that's the most powerful statement a person can make about us as human beings. The sad part is that if something like this really did exist, this very scenario would really be a reality. Do you think that mankind as one would all be eligible for a fresh start in a brave new world? Absolutely not! The sick and the old would automatically not be thought of. Than the poor and destitute would be written off. It would come down to those that had the money (not that it would be worth anything or even available after the destruction, but you have to fund this project some how) those that make positive contributions to society with science, technology, medicine and other great minds. Things like the art and important works of art and history would be immediately preserved and the specifies of our world would need to be protected as well to re-populate the world. Where would the common person like and you and me be? Dead, because most of us would never survive that drive through downtown Los Angeles let alone be able to steal a plane.

To me this movie represents the real deal. Not that I believe the world is coming to an end in 2012, not by a long shot, but it does put into prospective what governments would do in a situation like this and can you blame them . They want the best of the best and if people are so blind or ignorant to think it would not happen, they better think again. On the flip side to this though is to know that there are people out there who value life, and humanity and we need to keep fighting for what we believe is right and that every human has value.When we forget that we as people have value and we stop fighting for that rights and beliefs than we no longer become active participants in humanity and we become emotionally dead.

Maybe I have read to much into this, but there are a few times I would have loved to jump up and smack the politicians and namely Carl who is the biggest horses ass of the whole bunch. But all in all I thought 2012 was an enjoyable movie to watch. I thought that a few of the scenes were a little long, such as the part where the door got stuck and they had that whole underwater sequence and finished off the movie with a little less drama, considering all that they had been through already. The average hero would have been out for the count before they landed on the glacier! I really enjoyed seeing Cusak do something a little more physically challenging and have always enjoyed watching his movies. It's entertaining and thought provoking and a classic end of days destruction movie!