I'm going to try to swap things up for a bit with a review of a movie I recently saw, 2012.

Director Roland Emmerich has made me smile more than once. He consistently does what Michael Bay consistently fails to do, make Shooty Shooty Bang Bang Action 'Splosion Disaster Thrillers that are actually good. Many would complain that his movies are just special effects laden 2 hour extravaganzas with throwaway plots; 200 million dollar excuses to blow up iconic landmarks. However, sometimes time that is exactly what I want to see. I don't need something deep every time I go to the movies, some weekends I just want some good old fashion explosions. Roland Emmerich delivers.

2012 gives me all the joy of seeing big things go boom without all that shaky cam cluster fuck crap that every other director seems dead set on. The shots are epic, the camera work is smooth and consistent, and I don't get the feeling that everything is being shot with a handy cam by someone who suffers a seizure every time he hits the record button. This is what Michael Bay doesn't seem to get. I actually got motion sickness during Transformers 2. If I am getting physically ill because of your camera work, you are doing something wrong, Mr. Bay. 2012 proves that there is still some life left in this genre yet.

Sure, it has its flaws. For one thing, the movie isn't much for plot, which can be basically summarized by "world is ending, run like fuck", with your assortment of b plot hidden political messages. However, given Roland Emmerich's past endeavors (namely The Day After Tomorrow) that is to be expected. Also, the main characters seem to have a knack for running their escapes unrealistically close to the wire. I often found myself often wondering how more competent individuals were fairing as opposed to the "nick of time" brigade the movie tends to follow. But it works; without the skin of your teeth fleeing sequences, this movie simply would not have the same punch.

Most of it's flaws are forgiven in several instances of cinematic epic-ness. I actually smiled as I watched all of California get swallowed up by the earth. A lot of critics booed this movie for the same things I though were great. I don't care if the movie relied heavily on CG, that's what I came to see. You don't go into a screening of a comedy expecting a psychological thriller, you go in expecting fart jokes and falling gags. The same can be said for disaster movies such as this. I sure didn't go into this expecting something smart or intelligent, I wanted to see stuff get wrecked. This movie did that, and despite a plot which was dubious at best, 2012 provided a movie going experience that left me satisfied that my money hadn't been wasted (unlike the aforementioned Transformers Dos). It all comes down to this: steady the camera shots, make the movie visually easy to follow, and kill Michael Bay.