Search - Doomsday 2012 DVD on DVD

Part of the End-of-the-World series of films from the Histor

Charles J. Garard Jr. PhD | Liaocheng University, China | 06/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film makes a worth-while addition to the series of films about ancient and recent prophecies regarding the alleged end of days on December 21, 2012. It certainly makes better viewing than the recent fictional film 2012. This one does not give much screen time to Nostradamus; that has been done in the History Channel film of that name. Since I have reviewed that DVD elsewhere on Amazon, I won't dwell on it here. This film DOOMSDAY 2012 stands on its own merits because it introduces information not touched upon in the former film -- e.g., the real Merlin called Myrddin in the Welsh, the sylbils from ancient Greece and Rome, and even a computer program called WEB BOT, which inadvertently made predictions about 9/11 and 2012 it was not originally created to make. This film also gives more attention to The Revelations of St. John in the Bible.

Of course, we have heard or read about the predictions of the star-gazing Mayans, the Hopis, the Egyptians, and the Masons. Persons we may not have heard about are such characters as Mother Shipton (Ursula Southill) and a real-life seer named Myrddin, perhaps the basis for the fictional Merlin in the King Arthur stories. It also gives needed attention to the ancient Chinese oracle the I Ching, a system of divination that pre-dates the others we have heard about. In fact, this film consults (no pun intended) just about every oracle except the Tarot and the Runes.

The filming of these programs is astonishingly well-done and credit should be given to the efforts of the producers and cinematographers. Credit should also be given to this program in particular for including the skeptics who want to share their "rational" perspectives on this topic. These are quality productions, not throwaway cheap-o commercial efforts like those we have seen, even theatrically, in the past. Footage from various quarters is well-chosen and skillfully included to aid the interviews with the experts on both side of the controversy.

When I showed this DVD to some Chinese students recently, I was aware of some wide-eyed reactions. One young lady, noted for her insightful comments in my classes, asked me if I believed that this could happen. I was hesitant to answer because I am aware of the impact that statements made by a professor can have. I told her that I thought the evidence was credible and well-presented -- convincing enough as an argument. As this and other programs have emphasized, we have choices. Being aware of these choices gives us the responsibility to try to influence actions that will benefit all mankind. What else can I say -- that I am totally convinced that the world will end on December 21, 2012? I am not. Do I think that significant changes may occur that may alter our existence as we know it? I think it is a distinct possibility. We have seen some of these events already -- earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, tidal waves, global warming indications, a sink hole opening up in Guatemala, a chunk of Antarctica the size of Rhode Island (exactly as predicted in the fictional film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) falling into the ocean. I grew up on the Mississippi River and saw what flood devastation could do. I saw what the waterfront of St. Louis looked like after it had been inundated. I have seen flooding in south Georgia (in the US), and the images of floating coffins after graveyards had been violated by torrents of water will also remain in my memory.

I cannot help but remember how frightened many people were about what would happen to worldwide computers at the end of 1999. I remember seeing people loading up their carts with water in the food markets. I also remember what a graduate professor once told me when I was writing about the lost continent of Atlantis and apocalyptic literature regarding the many times that the end of the world had been predicted in the past, which is also mentioned in this film. As she put it, many people don't want to consider the fact that the world might continue long after they are gone -- an interesting perspective, I thought.

However, it is apparent to many of us that to ignore the possibilities of future world-wide devastation is naive.

Then again, remaining naive is what we do best, isn't it? After all, it beats thinking every time."

You may have about two and a half years to get your affairs

Stephen Pletko | London, Ontario, Canada | 05/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"XXXXX

(NOTE that this review is for the documentary "Doomsday 2012," NOT to be confused with the science fiction movies "2012: Doomsday" and "2012")

"[December 21,] 2012: a date that is prophesized as the end of the world. But is there any science behind this dire prediction? Could ancient oracles truly predict the future? The answer could affect all of us because history shows a surprisingly good track record for those who say doomsday is almost here."

The above in quotation marks is found in the introduction to this documentary. There are three main threads to it:

(1) The end of the Mayan calendar and its associated prophesies of change. (The early Maya was a civilization of middle America noted for many things but especially for their mathematical and astronomical systems. They were initially established during the Pre-Classic period (circa 2000BC to 250) but disappeared upon the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s.)
(2) The work on the I Ching and the end of its cycle in 2012. (The I Ching {pronounced "EE Ching"} is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The earliest version of the texts date to the mid-4TH and early 3RD centuries BC. Also known as the "Book of Changes.")
(3) A computer program that scours the Internet for information it can use to predict major events, which also points to 2012 as being a rather nasty year.

Interspersed with these three main threads are several smaller, less specific prophesies that may or may not apply to our present time. It follows the format of combining talking-head comments (mainly authors, book editors, and publishers), stock footage, and dramatic re-enactments.

This documentary presents some good information about such things as ancient oracles, the Mayan Calender and I Ching, Merlin, and biblical prophesies. It attempts to cut through the myths and offer a fact-based examination of the doomsday prophesy.

However, I thought it was trying to be too sensationalistic and found it was prone to making wild speculations of what some prophesies could mean.

There is an extra and it turns out to be another documentary! This documentary is narrated by actor Edward Herrmann.

It explores the Mayan culture and its remarkable time-keeping skills more thoroughly than the first documentary does. This second documentary explains the Mayan calendar and the specifics of the prophesies that have been made.

I thought this second documentary was much better than the first or main one.

The DVD itself (released in 2009) is perfect in picture and sound quality.

Finally, I should explain my rating. I gave the first or main documentary 3.5 stars and the extra or second documentary 5 stars. My final rating is an average of these two ratings.

In conclusion, this documentary presents an insightful way of looking into something that...may or...may not happen.

**** 1/4

(2007; 90 min. {each documentary is 45 min.}; made for the History Channel; full screen; 12 scenes {each documentary has 6 scenes}; closed captioned)



XXXXX
"