2012 - The Destruction of the Earth and its Environments

In this trailer of 2012, it shows predominantly the Earth’s destruction, as well as society’s destruction through unnatural causes. There are fireballs erupting from volcanoes and hitting the earth, tidal waves engulfing the cities, and buildings crumbling and on fire. In short, the trailer mainly showcases the various ways the Earth and society are being destroyed.

The trailer of 2012 does depict a future where most normal people would be frightened by the self-destruction of the Earth on December 21, 2012. I have to admit that I would be scared too; knowing that any time a fireball could come and end my life or being swallowed up by the violent waters or the ground is not a fate I would prefer to die by. It does make me think back to the idea that our planet is angry at us for polluting and damaging its natural environments. Maybe this future, if it would occur in the future, would be prevented if we took extra precautions to help preserve and save the environment from further damage from burning fossil fuels and cutting trees? If the actual event did occur… I would think it would be less dramatic than what the film displays it to be, since the moviemakers has to blow everything up in proportion to make it interesting for their potential viewers, one way of manipulating them into watching their film.

The purpose behind making the film isn’t necessarily to tell the audience that this event is definitely going to happen on this date, but I think, rather to explore the possibilities of what could happen, even if they are highly unrealistic without further evidence. But, that contributes to the enjoyment; imagining different possibilities allows ideas and new hypotheses to come alive. The purpose is explicitly shown through the film trailer. The audience gets to see fireballs wreck the earth, there are numerous earthquakes that shatter the ground, and there are tidal waves that engulf nearly everything up to a certain height. These are all different possibilities that the world could come to an end when it hits 12/21/12. While it does strike fear when we think about all these different possibilities that could happen on that day, one can also say that it’s strangely amusing to think about all these different possibilities. In general, nobody that’s not naïve or stubborn would actually believe that the 2012 theory would actually come true, considering that there’s no evidence for it. In this sense, coming up with different possibilities would be an enjoyable exercise for the creative mind; it is a way to brainstorm about the future.

In this film trailer, they use a myriad of destructive images as an appeal to the audience’s curiosity of what could happen on this date. Fireballs, earthquakes, tidal waves look well done in terms of special effects, and also contribute to the sense that the movie’s quality is also well done. There is actually a lack of words or language in this trailer, with only a half of the words being said, while the other half is stated on screen. This serves to increase the dramatic tension, thereby acting also as an appeal to their audience’s taste in stories with great plotlines.