Ah end of the world as we know it. It seems like there’s a glut of apocalypse porn at the moment, from Knowing (which really was depressing but also full of that aliens are going to save some of us vibe) to Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster-fest, 2012.

The premise is this: The Mayans predicted the end of the world on Winter Solstice 2012 (not strictly true) during a planetary alignment which happens once every couple of aeons. This will result in the planet literally coming apart at the seams and then causing everything to rearrange itself, from the continents to the environment. Oh and this also means loads of volcanoes, billions of deaths and some massive tsunami. And, for once, even the US is utterly destroyed.

Basically, to get a flavour of the film without going, just check out the trailer below as it contains some of the best special effects and CG sequences found in the film. But if you do go – and you should – the film also presents the best and worst sides of humanity. On one hand, humanity’s preservation comes in part to the richest of the rich, who fund the arks by paying 1 billion euros for a seat. This basically means only the mega-rich are assured a chance of surviving this latest apocalypse, while the best examples of humanity (such as the monk in the poster or the Indian scientist who discovered the phony science leading to this whole mess) are left to perish. Just FYI, best does not usually equate with rich.

The science at the heart of 2012 really is fiction. Neutrinos and physical changes in the Earth’s core and crust which literally reshape the planet (and leaves the south pole in Wisconsin!), arks which somehow survive the mega-tsunami and the ability for one regular family to travel all the way from Los Angeles (via Yellowstone and Las Vegas) to China. The film focuses around writer and limo driver Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) and his fractured family. He’s divorced and his son refuses to call him Dad, preferring to address him as Jackson while his daughter is so traumatized by the breakup, she has to wear pull-ups. Nice touch. His former wife has married a plastic surgeon who did her breasts and they live in a lovely house in the suburbs of LA.

Jackson takes his kids camping in Yellowstone where they run into a bunch of government scientists – including an unlikely fan in the form of Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – who are measuring the effects the aforementioned neutrinos are having on the dormant Yellowstone super-volcano. After listening to the local conspiracy theorist come Cassandra, Los Angeles is falling apart at the seams and Jackson gets back just in time to get his family to the nearest airstrip and watch California slide into the ocean.

What follows is an epic round the world trek and race against time to find the mysterious ships which could be their sanctuary. Of course these couldn’t be distributed around the world (the sensible option), they have to all be clustered in the most unlikeliest place. China. Oh and if you happen to land in the Himalayas, just watch for the giraffes and elephants being airlifted in freezing temperatures to give you an idea of which way to walk.

But when the world is not falling apart, 2012 shifts its focus to conversations about life with a number of minor characters. The film feels a bit philosophical at times, dealing with the denial of information, accepting fate or choosing to fight it and the will to survive anything, even the end of the world itself. Even more so when it involves a pair of Tibetan monks having just such a conversation.

It’s filmed well, except for portions at the end of the film where 2012 starts to feel a bit like Titanic. Suddenly the camera goes from that movie feel to a shaky hand held video camera. Of course it’s obvious why as the main characters are soaked to the skin and stuck in a disaster simulator-type set. The shaky-cam is supposed to give a more realistic, almost documentary, feel to a precarious situation. Unfortunately it doesn’t work and actually looks pretty shoddy. The rest of the film seems to be made up of very convincing CG where almost every important building, city and monument is destroyed.

But if you’re a fan of disaster flicks, as I am, it’s a good way to spend a couple of hours, even if you need to switch off your brain and suspend your rational mind for the duration. 2012 also has that token kind-of-happy ending which is to be expected of most blockbusters nowadays, especially as there is apparently a TV series in development. Just remember, if the Mona Lisa gets switched by a shady organization which seems to answer to no one then the end is surely coming.