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This 5-Minute Clip from 2012 Will Destroy Your World

Posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 by David Chen

20121

“California is going down!”

Last night between 10:50 and 11:00 p.m., Columbia Pictures apparently executed the largest American media roadblock ever, airing a 2-minute clip from 2012 on the major broadcast networks, local stations in the top 70 markets, and nearly 450 television stations in North America. The projected television audience alone for this project was 110 million, which I found staggering for its sheer audacity. Subsequently, the conclusion of that scene can be viewed in an almost-5-minute long clip on the internet, which you can catch after the break.

Apparently, this was the same footage showed back at San Diego Comic-Con, and you can find Russ, Peter, and Adam reacting to it by checking out our video blog. Feel free to check out my interview with Roland Emmerich too.

Although Russ, Peter, and Adam do a good job, describing this clip is not terribly productive; words are insufficient. You have to see it for yourself to understand the insanity. I found this clip so unabashedly ridiculous, with its over-the-top drowning in CGI, that it kind of rises to a whole new level of disaster filmmaking. If you liked the scene in The Day After Tomorrow where the characters were running away from coldness, then you will love this! Suffice it to say, if you somehow still haven’t decided if this is the movie for you based on the trailer, this clip will remove all doubts. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Discuss: Will this be Roland Emmerich’s best film ever? Or worst? Can terms “best” or “worst” even be applied to films like this?

Comments 

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Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Video Clips, 

  • gigaherc
    SFX look very nice, Cusack seems a bit too calm, imo though;)

    Cool scene anyways.
  • that's a movie you only watch for the SFX...
  • Gelman
    Speaking of SFX and the "Day after Tomorrow" did you know that Al Gore used CGI footage from that film and passed it as documentary footage in his "Inconvenient Truth" film? It almost sounds too ridiculous to believe, but it's true. I wonder if he'll use 2012 footage in any way?

    Here's the ABC video on the controversy: motls.blogspot.com/2008/04/abc-inconvenient-truth-day-after.html
  • jbaker475
    The VFX are surprisingly detailed and stunning, but once the main cataclysm is over, there's probably no reason to stay in the theater
  • Wow, some really wild imagery -- over the top is an understatement, but there is some beauty in such completely savage destruction. Not really a fan of the characters screaming as if they're on a roller coaster ride -- let the audience do that for you. As insane and ridiculous as this is, films like this are a small slice of what cinema was made for. If the story is as anywhere near as engaging as some of these sequences, I'll be pleased, but honestly, what am I doing looking for compelling and original treaties of the human condition in a film about the earth devouring itself?

    Bad marks for the terrible reverse scream effect at the end of the titles. Ugh.
  • wittyphrase
    To me, figuring out the appropriate emotional response to the end of the world shouldn't be too hard. You simply figure out what you would do if the world were ending and that's what you direct the actors to do. Why is everyone in that plane so damn calm? The quirky little "I've got to get it up to 85 knots" bit just feels so absurdly out of place.

    Why does the state of California happen to break apart in a precise order so as to chase John Cusack and his family to the airport? Also, they're in an airplane right? Other than to show off the low-level destruction, why is the plane flying at a level that's below buildings? Why isn't it, you know, in the air?

    And last, but certainly not least, worst Schwarzenegger impression EVER? Discuss...
  • dothvader
    Agree... /shakes head and sighs...

    The part that I kept shaking my head about is once they're in the air, why the hell is the guy flying under buildings? Wouldn't you fly up into the air as quickly as possible.
  • hisensei808
    I was thinking the EXACT same thing about the plane scene.

    As for the calmness, some people deal with stress differently than others. There are those who can remain calm in a crisis and those who are just of the wall uncontrollable.

    The film looks wonderful, but I am speaking strictly about the SFX. I still have mix feelings because, bottomline... it's Emmerich. My own personal feeling with Emmerich is he sets you up for a disappointment. This could be an all SFX film with no substance to satisfy the mind.

    That being said, I will still end up going to the film, though. I mean, hands down the SFX are worth watching on the big screen.
  • dothvader
    Thanks for the reply.

    Worrying about getting up to speed "according to the manual" when
    you're going to die if you don't punch it now...the last thing I'd be
    concerned with, and how about the part where he's flying straight at
    the buildings that are tipping/collapsing towards each other...instead
    of veering left or right, or pulling the stick back to go over them.  What does he do?  He
    "flies under them"!  Under them!  Stupid...

    I'm
    sure it'll be visually spectacular and an auditory delight for the
    ears, but there's only so much willing suspension of disbelief any one
    person can give.  That's when you say "Give me a break!"  When you're creating an alien world nothing like
    you're own you can expand the amount of disbelief you can ask from your audience.  When it's supposed
    to be our world and things that could really happen, you hope that the
    director directs the action and actors towards something vaguely
    believable.

    I agree with you about how people react to crisis.  It had no beef with their calmness, it really just goes to actors acting in front of a green screen and not really appreciating the situation they are supposed to be in, and also bad acting with people watching the other actors act and waiting for their cue to scream et al...
     
    All that said; I can't wait to see it...lol.

    Cheers
  • Death
    The answer is simple .. he needed 85 knots, but they barely got to 80. The plane did not have enough velocity when the ground under it collapsed. For the rest of the scene, the plane was trying to gather velocity and dodge obstacles at the same time .. a difficult feat
  • elvispookie
    The plane never got off the ground.. the ground disappeared below the plane. Thats why they were stunned that they were "flying". I guess the pilot needed the 85 knots and didnt get it thus the low flying in the clip
  • dothvader
    Hi Elvis,

    Worrying about getting up to speed "according to the manual" when you're going to die if you don't punch it now...the last thing I'd be concerned with, and how about the part where he's flying straight at the buildings that are tipping/collapsing towards each other...instead of vering left or right, or pulling the stick back to go over them, he "flies under them" as they collapse into each other...give me a break!

    I'm sure it'll be visually spectacular and an auditory delight for the ears, but there's only so much willing suspension of disbelief any one person can give.  When you're creating an alien world nothing like you're own you can expand the amount of disbelief.  When it's supposed to be our world and things that could really happen, you hope that the director directs the action and actors towards something vaguely believable.

    All that said; I can't wait to see it...lol.

    Cheers
  • uramore-on
    He's right, the whole low flying plane thing is because they didn't have enough speed to gain altitude, so they kept losing altitude as the pilot struggled get the plane higher in the air, because they took off at too low of speed.

    And small planes like that aren't jet fighters, just because they are small, that doesn't make them manueverable. He couldn't go left or right, because he would have caused them to crash right into the buildings. And going up I've already explained to you. The only way left to go is under and between and hope you can gain speed enough to pull up and get away on the other side.

    No, the plane flight was hardly the ridiculous part of this clip. The worst parts are, "I've got to calmly and slowly do preflight check list when we've already seen how horrible this is and by some miracle, the airport is the only place not affected, so we have time." to the, "OMG a building is collapsing in front of our car, I'm going to gun it and drive through the damn building." And the building floor is miraculously intact enough and free of debris that a limo can drive through it without slowing down.

    What the heck people? Give credit for bad concepts and stupid tropes where credit is do. Not on the parts that actually make sense.
  • Jeremy
    If a plane, especially the small ones, take off before the right speed, it'll take a while for them to gain decent altitude.
  • thorofthunder
    The Schwarzenegger impression was on purpose. I don't think Roland likes him much.

    Though I do agree the 85 knots bit was a little ridiculous. If I were in that plane I'd be screaming at the top of my lungs and ripping my hair out.
  • Death[CrAb]
    the Schwarzenegger impression .. if you listened closely to what they said early on .. you would have know that the dude was an ACTOR ... and not Schwarzenegger. and I mean an actor that is an actor in the movie ...
  • It was hard not to watch Independence day a few days ago remembering your movie going experience. Good times. I wonder if there will be any remaining palm trees after the destruction.
  • rubntug
    If that's the amount of death and destruction contained within 5 minutes, I wonder how many corpses they'll hilariously fly through over the whole movie? This is surely more flippant than the likes of Saw or Hostel when it comes to the disregard of human lives.

    Also: DONUT!
  • stupid but visually impressive. Can't wait
  • dee
    Not sure there is much point in watching the movie now, between this and the trailer they are giving away all of the money shots!!
  • JasonSearcy
    Im pretty sure there are many more money shots all around the world.
  • Death[CrAb]
    Ya there are ... that clip was only the beginning
  • Name
    Wow... who wants to go out now and buy a super-manoeuvrable, long wheelbase limo to escape a cataclysmic event?

    Of all things they chose that to leave in style?
  • VMANN
    *giggles* True....True.... :-D
  • Blepyrus
    How many times can Emmerich destroy the world? Cusack is great and I'll see the movie but his spectacles are rehashed and is a hacker of his own work.
  • Colonel_Kurtz
    I almost feel guilty for looking forward to this ridiculous movie, but I'm a sucker for apocoporn. Hey, it's Roland Emmerich, you know exactly what you're going to get...bizarro science and over the top cgi.
  • VMANN
    Exactly...who would expect something else? Totaly share your opinion here
  • Gordon
    Art Bell is involved. Should be some good insane fun.
  • Total craziness. I like how they worked in a "NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO!" Although Shai Labouf would have delivered that line better.
  • n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no!!!!!!
  • raphnl
    Looks aweful.
  • ereed
    it's true disaster porn. will be great to see after a hard week of using my brain.
  • bomberman
    marijuana + this movie = divine
  • amen brother
  • waltponce
    Abso-freaking-lutely.
  • VMANN
    To say it with the words of one of the greatest comedians of all times - Bill Hicks (RIP) "Oh won't we party hard, when Hell A goes *K-SPLASH*.......leaving nothing but a cool, beautiful serenity called Arizona Bay." *ggg*

    Yes, it IS overdone, yes, the SFX will probably bust your eardrums and the VFX will burn your eyballs...who cares? This is popcorn cinema as I love it!
    Definately NOT going to wait for the DVD on this one!

    THX me!
  • Truecoat
    Where do you begin with this? It's so ridiculous, I can't stop laughing at it. I would ruin this movie at the theater for people actually into this film with my constant laughing.
  • If there isn't an entire themepark built with this film as the basis for it's only ride, hollywood has finally lost me.
  • pete_traynor
    Wont be seeing this is I really very little interest in it but I have to admit that I respect the sheer scale and audacity of that clip. Was good fun.
  • joker93
    Holy Shit. I'm there, totally.
  • God The Devil and Bob
    Oh how I wish I was twelve again with a compromised sense of logic.

    The effects sure are pretty, but John Cusack? .. "Him?"
  • Savage Steve Holland
    They should have marketed this movie as a Cusack sequel and called it “Better Off Dead 2”. What a wasted opportunity.
  • Ryan Power
    No wasted opportunity, for a movie called 2012, this is exactly what one would expect. I have never liked Cusack, with the exception of Better Off Dead. Next to Bobcat in One Crazy Summer he seems like such a tool.

    Gotta love the cut away to the girl whimpering out the plane window.
  • daq
    anyone know if the 2 minute clip is online somewhere. cant seem to find a link to it anywhere
  • Sir Loin
    Ya gotta admit that despite the ridiculous premise, that sequence was quite imaginative in the sheer amount and types of destruction. It's like the FX guys were just give absolute total freedom in how everything gets destroyed, and they just went for it. IMAX time :D
  • richlec
    I guess if I'm going to live my dream of going to that restaurant in L.A. that Ayelet Waldman writes about that serves fried chicken and waffles, I better do it before 2012.
  • rookje
    Roscoe's? Haha
  • Roscoe's. I live to go back there some day.
  • I saw this this morning. It looks like they rebroadcasted it around 8:45am EST as I saw it on three different channels (ESPN, ABC, TBS) at that point.

    It definitely has me interested. I think this may be the most visually pleasing movie ever released (and that is taking into account Avatar). Chiwetel Ejiofor is one of the best unknowns in Hollywood right now. Him along with Thandie Newton and Danny Glover and this really looks to be his best film, far surpassing Independence Day. Of course, only time will tell.

    One thing is for sure, this is going to be the biggest movie of the pre-Holiday season and may be the biggest movie of the rest of the year.
  • Ew
    You're an idiot.
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