2012 is just another big budget Hollywood disaster flick that is long on special effects and short on reality. Moviemakers want to scare the pants off you for fun (yours) and profit (theirs). Blockbuster disaster films have been popular for a long time— do you remember the Poseidon Adventure from 1972? Or 1970’s Airport?
It’s the End of the World
According to 2012, ancient cultures have long known about an impending disaster that will destroy the world, and the government has been keeping this information hidden from the people. In the movie, Earth will be wiped out when the planet Nibiru smashes into it, setting off amazing--and terrifying--worldwide disasters.
NASA Website Debunks 2012 Myths
NASA has put together a website to answer the questions that people may have after watching 2012. The biggest fact they would like people to know is that Nibiru doesn't even exist. Furthermore, if there were a planet close enough to hit us by the year 2012, you would be able to walk outside and see it with the naked eye by now.
What's with the Mayan Calendar?
Another big question answered by NASA is "what’s all the fuss with the year 2012 in the Mayan calendar?" The Mayan calendar runs out at 2012, just like your kitchen calendar runs out at December 31st. You, however, can go to the store and buy a new calendar, but the ancient Mayans are no longer around to update theirs. 2012 is the end of a long “count point” for the Mayans, called a Baktun. 2012 is the end of Baktun 13, a 394-year cycle of religious significance. If they were still around, they would have written down another Baktun's worth of dates.
What is the origin of this prediction that the world will end on 2012, you might ask? The myth is that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is on a collisions course with Earth. Nibiru, is also known as "Planet X" by some web doomsayers.
"The Planet Nibiru was predicted to hit the Earth in May of 2003," NASA astrobiologist David Morrison told NPR's Guy Raz during an interview. "As far as I know, it didn't. And someone just pushed reset, and now it's coming in 2012. So I don't think we'll ever be rid of apocalyptic stories about Planet X and the end of the world."
See Disney's Planet 51 Instead
The movie 2012 is rated PG-13. If you have pre-teens with active imaginations, maybe you should take a pass on this one. If you have kids interested in space and science, why not take them to see Disney's Planet 51 instead?
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