The survivors head for Yellowstone Park in search of a conspiracy theorist (Harrelson), who claims to know about a secret government plot to save mankind from disaster.
Meanwhile, President Thomas Wilson (Glover) pushes ahead with a covert plan to build giant arks in China that will save those with the biggest wallets from catastrophe.
His daughter Laura (Newton), slippery Chief Of Staff Carl Anheuser (Platt) and scientific advisor Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor) join the thrill ride.
2012 is two hours and 37 minutes of pure, adrenaline-fuelled entertainment.
There’s nothing sophisticated or remotely plausible about Emmerich’s apocalyptic vision: for the first special effects-laden sequence, Jackson manages to outrun a giant earthquake in his limo and even drives through a skyscraper as it collapses around the vehicle.
Co-screenwriter Harald Kloser introduces a dog in distress, a greedy Russian billionaire who shot-puts his son to safety, and a glimpse of our Queen arriving at one of the arks, clutching two corgis. God bless you, Ma’am.
Cusack and his co-stars constantly seem to be a smirk away from showing how much they are enjoying this big-budget extravaganza, striking a final note of wistful self-reflection with a rallying cry from Ejiofor’s man with a conscience that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy.
