2012 is a tearjerker! It brought me to the verge of tears in numerous scenes and I am not happy about that!

There are several themes in this blockbuster which was inspired by the tall tale of the end of the world come the year 2012, according to the Mayan calendar.

But first off, this show was a little too ridiculous to give off any vibe of a bad omen. It is incredulous that John Cusack’s character, novelist Jackson Curtis survived the way he did; his car always a centimetre ahead of the earth’s cracks, pulling himself up from the earth’s opening, narrowly miss getting his legs or entire body crushed beneath the gears that shut the “ark of 2012”, the ability to hold his breath for as long as it took to free up what was jammed in the hydraulic chamber. “God really loves him,” said Eli.

Bad people get their just desserts – they die, while the good men survive. Although I can’t figure out why Gordon (Thomas McCathy), who plays the boyfriend of Jackson Curtis’ ex-wife had to die. And he died all crushed up in the hydraulic chamber. WHY? His character started off as an insecure jerk but turned out to be a nice plastic surgeon who could fly a plane to save the lives of those around him. Yet they killed him off, I guess to take him out of the family-perfect reunion of the Curtis. Anyway, that’s one theme. Good people survive, bad people die.

On a related theme, is one where the privileged survive and those who cannot afford to pay a billion dollar Euros are left to die. Never mind that you are the smartest person around, the real hero. If you are born into a “common family” in a less fortunate environment, you are left to die. Such as the scientist in India who alerted the pompous Americans to the end of the world. He was left to die after the Americans got all the information they required. That kind man actually fed those Americans a crucial piece of information just before getting wiped off the face of the earth.

Speaking of people, one small scene in the movie really bugs me. The one where the old white man who works on the cruise ship calls his son in Japan and the son hesitated to pick up the phone because he and his dad had a falling out about him marrying a Japanese woman. Because that man hesitated, he never got to make peace with his father. Whether it is the end of the world today, tomorrow or a hundred generations down the line, it should never be that way. We should not wait till the last moment to tell the people we hurt that we are sorry, or to tell the people we love that we love them. What good is there to know that someone loves you just before they die? They are going to die whether you love them or not. But, if you tell them daily that you love them, their hearts are filled with joy going about their daily business.

One resounding theme was the critique of how information should be made available to the entire human race because it is a basic right. The argument here is that if people know, then they can gather with their loved ones one last time. See above – don’t wait till the end of the world to gather with your loved ones.

If information about the end of the world was confirmed, wouldn’t the world self-destruct? Everyone would panic and do senseless things. The movie also showed that scientist can be wrong. They can make mistakes and the information is updated all the time. In the midst of chaos, who really listens to updated information? No one.

Another basic right, is the right to a chance to survive. Not only those with money should be given a chance of survival, but everyone. No argument there.

The movie also showed corruption in the government. How money runs everything and lives are purposely lost to protect information that fellow humans have chosen to classify as classified.

This movie also linked the “suspicious accident” of one of those guys the government killed to the death of Princess Diana. Are they insinuating that her death had something to do with the government of whichever land?

…

I told Eli that if something like that were to happen, I think I will put on my finest clothes, jump into bed and cuddle with him. He laughed at my “finest clothes”, and told me he would fight to survive even though he knows that when it’s your time, it’s your time. I am just lazy and like being cozy.

Overall, the effects of this movie were pretty good. I know that there are a lot of near misses in life, but the survival of the Curtis family was just ridiculous. I liked how the movie ended with fresh air and light though – it’s a positive note. I like happy endings. However, I disagree with telling naĂŻve people that even if the world came to an end in 2012, technology will allow us to make it through the flood and start our lives all over again, from zero.

Oh, I also liked that I recognized a Singaporean actor in the movie! Chin Han! I remember him very fondly from Masters of the Sea. The one and only worthy local English drama produced by Singapore! And he was a real charmer in that show. Still looks the same today.

p.s. Do I think the world will come to an end in 2012? Only God knows. We should always be prudent and ready for His coming (Matthew 25).