This movie portrays the over-hyped Mayan prophecy of the
destruction of the world coming true through overheating of the Earth's core
causing continental plate movement leading to tsunamis which flood every inch
of the Earth's surface, including Mount Everest. The world's governments have built five giant
arks to preserve humanity until the waters recede. The lives of several people, most of whom
manage to get on the arks, is shown in several subplots.
From a scientific standpoint, the movie is ridiculous. For example, there was a statement about
sunspots altering the fundamental properties of subatomic particles. The rapid
movements of tectonic plates portrayed, and the picture of a tsunami covering
half the Indian subcontinent in about fifteen seconds seem likewise
absurd. Also, arks are relatively low
tech. If governments know about the
upcoming flooding, they'd build thousands, not just five. And the shot of a giraffe being held in a
sling and flown by helicopter over the Himalayas
is laughable. The end shot of the sun
dawning on a new day is maudlin.
The characters are stereotyped extremes. You have a self-sacrificing president who
gives up his seat on an ark, a greedy Russian businessman and his fat,
obnoxious kids, a noble scientist who risks his own welfare to carry forth the
truth, and the like.
The music is stirring, and does help the exercise.
The scenes of panic, people running to get a place on the
ark, worrying about themselves and their loved ones, trying to persuade
officials to do what's right, etc all draw you into the story
in spite of the basic plot weaknesses, and the subplots are well enough crafted
to keep you from guessing all the outcomes.
Rating: +++ gets your pulse up as much as a jog. You could do worse to help your work out.
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