2012

An ordinary novelist and single father, Jackson Curtis, discovers evidence that a series of abnormal solar events is destabilizing Earth's interior. As scientists scramble to interpret the data, a government insider warns that the planet's crust will become catastrophically unstable, and secret plans are launched to save a slice of humanity. Jackson races to keep his children safe while chaos erupts worldwide: cities are shattered by massive quakes, coastlines vanish under tsunamis, and volcanic activity reshapes continents. The film follows his attempts to reach safety amid collapsing infrastructure, bureaucratic secrecy, and moral choices about who gets saved. Focus stays on family as systems fray.

2012 was directed by Roland Emmerich and released in 2009, with creator Harald Kloser; the production leaned heavily on large scale visual effects and a notable supporting ensemble cast led by John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Oliver Platt.

The movie's enormous destruction sequences became widely referenced in other media, television and internet culture, spawning parodies, memes, and shorthand for blockbuster spectacle. Its visual effects and sense of scale influenced later disaster films and advertising, while debates about plausibility kept it a frequent talking point in popular conversation today.

Critics were split, generally praising the film's technical achievements while criticizing thin character development and a melodramatic script. Audiences often embraced the spectacle despite narrative flaws. Major themes include survival ethics, the tensions between private life and public power, and how institutions respond under extreme stress, and social collapse consequences.

Released as a summer tentpole, 2012 performed strongly at the global box office, becoming a commercial blockbuster and fueling demand for big scale disaster pictures. Its financial success encouraged studios to greenlight similar effects driven projects in subsequent years worldwide.