4.8 | / 10 |
Users | 1.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 1.7 |
The end is nigh in this apocalyptic disaster film that mixes Christian values, Mayan mythology, and scientific theories about polar shifts. When four strangers journey into Mexico in 2012, they are drawn into ancient mysteries that foretell the coming of The End of Times.
Starring: Cliff De Young, Dale Midkiff, Ami Dolenz, Danae Nason, Jonathan NationSci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | 69% |
Horror | 55% |
Fantasy | 31% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
There's a reason for everything.
Those who thought Disaster movie maestro Roland Emmerich's 2012 was bad ain't seen nothin' yet. Love it or hate, at least Emmerich's
film had behind it slick production values, seamless special effects, quality actors, and a director who knows what he's doing. Enter 2012:
Doomsday, a knockoff picture from "mockbuster" studio The Asylum that, like all of their films, is absent those basic attributes that can
generally be seen as the qualities necessary to craft a passable motion picture. For all its bad acting, awful special effects, miserable pacing, confused
structure, and continuity and technical errors, 2012: Doomsday at least steps out of the bad movie comfort zone and tries to build its story
around abstract themes such as faith and fate. The key word is "tries." Though admirable, the film falls flat at every turn, and the sheer absence of
feeling and emotion is startling. For a movie that combines the end of the world with Christian values, 2012: Doomsday plays as surprisingly
dull and
meaningless. It feels forced and phony, and proves that concepts alone can't overcome bad writing and atrocious filmmaking.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel bored.
2012: Doomsday features a surprisingly steady 1080p transfer. It's not going to be mistaken for a cream-of-the-crop sort of image, but Echo Bridge's effort with 2012: Doomsday is borderline commendable. The image is sharp and crisp with minimal noise and a fair amount of depth, despite its video-like sheen. Detailing is adequate-to-strong, particularly in close-up shots of faces, clothes, and rocky cave formations. Colors are steady and generally vibrant, save for some of the later scenes where the frame is washed out by snow and gray skies. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot some banding, chunky backgrounds, poor color gradations, and pasty flesh tones in a few scenes, but such no-no's are the exception rather than the rule. Blacks are decent, and save for the aforementioned pastiness, flesh tones appear accurately rendered in most scenes. 2012: Doomsday isn't going to be the HDTV seller's demo disc of choice, but it looks quite good for a bargain release of a cheap movie.
2012: Doomsday's Blu-ray release features a 2.0 soundtrack, but at least it's a DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Though lossless, listeners shouldn't expect much from this one. It's a decent enough track that's supportive of the film's wishy-washy sound effects; it plays as a bit crunchy and undefined, but chalk that up to a poor mix rather than a poor Blu-ray soundtrack. The track captures a decent series of lows in support of the most destructive action sequences, such as during tornado ravaging San Diego in chapter seven. Music is suitably reproduced, enjoying a fair bit of spacing and a crisp, sharp presentation. Atmospherics are, of course, limited to the front; while listeners will never feel immersed into the interior of an ambulance travelling down a bumpy street or a Mexican jungle environment, the track manages to create a basic sound field that sets the stage for every scene well enough. Dialogue is clear and focused, but there are some obvious lip sync issues present at various junctures throughout the track. All in all, 2012: Doomsday is obviously no match for Sony's monster lossless soundtrack that accompanies the real 2012, but this is a solid all-around mix considering the disc's budget pricing and the film's meager origins.
No extras are included on this Blu-ray release of 2012: Doomsday.
A "mockbuster" with a spiritual overtone. That's an unlikely pairing if there ever was one, but leave it to The Asylum to mix anything and everything in hopes of finding a formula for success. 2012: Doomsday has its heart in the right place, and the message of faith is, in and of itself, fine, but the execution is terrible; there's no feeling, no connection to the story or the characters, and considering all the problems with the film that exist around the periphery of the story -- the bad acting, the poor attention to detail, the shoddy direction -- it's just too much to swallow and the message too blatant to work. 2012: Doomsday gets a passing grade for effort, but everything else about the movie ranks as a total disaster. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release features a decent technical presentation and no extras. Fans of faith-based films and Disaster movies might want to give this a rental, but caution: this is a bad, slow movie with no real value; there are better faith-based films out there, and it wouldn't be a sin to follow them up with a screening of the real 2012.
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