Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie Review

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Again.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 12, 2010

Is it the Apocalypse yet? One almost wishes for the end of the world at times, if only so the incessant History Channel “specials” about our impending doom would finally cease, along with the rest of everything else. I’ve long lamented History’s penchant for doom and gloom, something which colors everything from series like The Universe to the patently apocalyptic Life After People to more putatively mundane fare like Ice Road Truckers. In the “boy who cried wolf” syndrome, my hunch is regular viewers of History, if confronted by the real end of the world, will be prone to respond nonchalantly, “Yeah, so what else is new?” History has long dovetailed its eschatological proclivities with episodes devoted to the prophecies of Nostradamus, and, more recently, the ancient Mayan predictions that something epochal (maybe, maybe not the end of the world) is going to happen in 2012. It was, of course, only a matter of time (which is, after all, drawing nigh) until some bright bulb at History decided to combine the two trends. And thus we have Nostradamus 2012, yet another portentous hour and a half of pseudo-scientific hypothesizing built around two subjects that are rife to what must charitably be termed “interpretation.”

Hey, Nostradamus, did anyone ever tell you you were a buzzkill?

Nostradamus 2012 focuses on what has become termed as “The Lost Book of Nostradamus” (at least it’s termed that way around History, which has also done—big surprise—a standalone special about this “lost book,” which is also included on this Blu-ray as a supplement). Evidently mysteriously ending up at the Italian National Library in 1888, it’s only recently been systematically examined. It features seven images which resemble tarot cards in a way, images of astrological signs and symbols which, frankly, can probably mean anything any given “reader” wants them to. Of course most, if not all, of the interpreters History assembles aver that the symbols portend a cataclysmic series of events centering around 2012. What exactly those events will entail is (need it be said?) anyone’s guess, but that doesn’t stop many of these people from giving it their best shot.

As jaded as I probably sound in this brief summation, the fact is Nostradamus 2012 does cover some fascinating material, albeit wrapped in an extremely depressing cloak. By dovetailing both Nostradamus and the 2012 “phenomenon” (for wont of a better word), we are presented with the most compelling sequence in this special, a long look at galactic alignment. Due to the relative gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon, the Earth wobbles a bit as it traverses the starry realm, moving one celestial degree every 72 years, and thereby completing its starry circle every 26,000 years or so. The last marker of this cycle coincided with the demise of Neanderthals and the rise of Cro-Magnons, considered here a harbinger of what may be in store for any cavemen you may know. Seriously, though, this phenomenon results in the “procession of the Equinoxes,” which has become known colloquially by the astrological signs we live in for approximately 2000 years at a time. We have been leaving the Piscean age and entering the Aquarian one, much as we did 26,000 years ago. In 2012 our journey will bring us to a place where it will appear that the Sun is rising directly in the center of the Milky Way, supposedly a major harbinger of. . .something.

Nostradamus 2012 attempts to weave together an at times rather baffling array of other cultures and philosophies, everything from Egyptians and Alchemists to the Hopi and their mysterious Blue Star. Some of it seems patently silly, including what on the surface could have been an interesting examination of the French Cross of Hendaye, and Fulcanelli, the researcher who claimed to have decoded the mysterious symbols found on it. When an on screen “expert” details how he actually figured out what the symbols meant, and how they are clearly a “message” sent by ancient man forewarning us of our impending doom in 2012, I couldn’t help but ask, “Wouldn’t it have been a lot easier to just have written down ‘You’re all going to die in 2012’ in an ancient codex?” Alas, these are the sorts of curmudgeonly questions which the History Channel incredibly fails to ask.

The problem with shows like Nostradamus 2012, however well intentioned they may be, is twofold. First of all, History simply does too many of them. They all look the same, sound the same, and impart largely the same histrionic information. More importantly, when you’re dealing with something like the completely opaque prophecies of Nostradamus and the equally unclear end of the Mayan calendar, it’s easy to fall prey to patently ridiculous interpretations and self-apppointed experts. While Nostradamus 2012 does bring in the occasional actual scientist, they deal mostly with the nuts and bolts facts of subjects like the galactic alignment, rather than the history and context of either Nostradamus or the Mayans.

There are only so many “chilling” (to quote History’s oft-utilized term) prophecies one can endure before numbness sets in. Nostradamus 2012 may indeed be disturbing and minimally thought provoking, but after a glut of such programming on History, the response mentioned above will probably be the most common reaction, namely: Yeah, so what else is new?

Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nostradamus 2012 arrives on Blu-ray via an AVC encoded, full 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The bulk of this special looks very good, either because of or in spite of the quick cutting, overly post-processed look the bulk of the show has. Interview segments, delivered without any post-processing, look the most natural and lifelike, with excellent skin tones and sharpness. The rest of the special looks very good to excellent, if one removes the very grainy and often badly damaged archival video of various cataclysms from the mix. The "reenactments" of Nostradamus, while desaturated, look sharp and appealing, and the many graphical elements utilized in the series are also very sharp and often quite colorful.

Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Nostradamus 2012 is given a satisfyingly robust lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which may have a narrow soundfield, but which delivers a lot of punch and wallop, especially on the low end. This special does after all deal a lot with catastrophic events, and the soundtrack's many LFE indulgences are delivered with excellent robustness here. Narration and onscreen commentary is also clear and precise, with spot on fidelity. Some of the more whimsical sound effects probably could have benefited from a surround mix, but I doubt too many people will be complaining about this soundtrack. After all, there are better things to worry about in our waning days on the planet.

Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In a sort of ironic twist, the supplemental episode, The Lost Book of Nostradamus (HD; 1:30:43) is actually at least as, if not more, enjoyable than the ostensible main feature. Looking at Nostradamus' life and prophecies, as well as the mysterious genesis of this "lost book," this episode, while it certainly does delve into the apocaplyptic side of things (you expected anything less?), at least has a clear historical focus that keeps it at least partially away from the incessant gloom and doom scenarios that are History's stock in trade.

Nostradamus 2012 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ho-hum. Another end of the world special. At least this one combines two apocalyptic genres, if that's any consolation. Nostradamus is a fascinating historical figure, and there's no denying that the Mayan 2012 phenomenon has captured the public's imagination in a big way. History has simply been down this path too many times to make Nostradamus 2012 seem like anything much more than rehashed (and hashed and hashed) material.