I would like to point out that the Yellowstone hot spot (also called a Super volcano) would not erupt as the 2012 movie depicted. Super volcanoes erupt in different ways than regular volcanoes.

The caldera of the Yellowstone super volcano is very large. When magma finally erupts, the material atop the caldera collapses into it. This produces several columns of magma around the rim of the caldera. The magma, dust and gas is ejected as far as 50 kilometers into the atmosphere. Some of this material, being too heavy to remain in the atmosphere, plummets right back down. The ash cloud from a Yellowstone eruption would circle the earth and block out the sun for a very long time.

Anyone within up to 200 miles of that volcanic blast would be vaporized instantly by either the initial blast, the falling debris or the pyroclastic cloud. John Cusak and his family, standing that close to the eruption, would have been toast.

If, by some miracle of divine intervention, the blast did not do the job, there is no way that any vehicle could outrun a pyroclastic cloud like that. None whatsoever. Planes and automobiles would not be able to function in the falling ash, which, by the way, would be raining down in a radius of 600 miles. Volcanic ash clogs up machinary, at least in that kind of volume.

ALSO, Mr. Cusak’s family should have been choking on the volcanic ash that should have been pouring down on them. When volcanic ash enters a human’s lungs, it basically turns to cement. Want a reference for that? Simply look up Pompeii.

At the very least, that family should have been deaf from the sonic boom of the explosion. As for the dead buffalo, that was one of the realistic effects of the movie. Before a volcano erupts, it slowly begins to emit gases that typically kill plant and wild life.

Anyway, thought I would put in my two cents. I absolutely love disaster movies, but I prefer the science to make sense. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but 2012 was just ludicrous. Almost as bad as “The Core.”

For the rest I’m going to say yes with caveats. Yellowstone is a hot spot. This does not necessarily mean it will become a volcano. It could, but it is more complicated than that since magma occurs in places other than just volcanoes. It is most definitely volcanic – and the region is most definitely geologically interesting – and the fact remains that it could become unstable which wouldn’t be too good for anyone in the area.

Just another little quip: I thought the conventional myth is that the Mayans predicted the end of the world on December 21st, 2012. Did it look like December weather in Yellowstone when they were there?

And really, if these super mutant neutrinos are heating things up in the centre of the earth to the point where the water is boiling and people are made mostly of water… Why didn’t we just boil inside our own skins way before the ‘disaster’ actually happened?

:) Thanks for pointing out some of the stuff I missed.

I’m sorry I was unclear in my first paragraph. I, like a number of other people, LOVE watching movies in order to nitpick the science. I find it fun, and love getting my money’s worth of nitpicking in. Now, some of the nitpickers out there get angry about the mistakes. As tone of voice doesn’t come though perfectly in writing, I can see how it might seem that my review is in that category. I will work on portraying myself more accurately. I mostly get angry when incorrect science is used in such a way as to convince real people to do harmful things in the real world. Being scared during the movie on behalf of the characters is one thing. Being scared in the real world of something entirely impossible that you’ve been told is “science” is another. You’ve got a great handle on this – you’re SO RIGHT it’s just a movie. Which is why I had a great time writing up this review and retelling the plot to my friends and laughing at it.

-Alice

Thanks for the updates! It’s impossible to catch everything in one viewing. :)

-Alice

First, the weird neutrino phenomena. If this could happen we would know it by now. There are a couple hundred billion stars in our galaxy and I bet, if this could happen, other stars would be doing it. These neutrinos are easily detected in the movie (much more easily than regular neutrinos) so we should be detecting these things from other stars (in low numbers at least) all the time!

Next, the mountain in Yellowstone where they watch the eruption is listed at an elevation of 2300 and some feet (they said this and it was printed on the sign). No where in Yellowstone is 2700 feet! The whole place is above 7000 feet in elevation. Could they have meant meters? Okay, nit picky but should be obvious to anyone who has ever been to Yellowstone and tried to breathe there that you are at a significant elevation.

As the plane takes off from Yellowstone, it is overtaken by the blast wave from the volcano. Planes need to attain certain airspeed (in the case of this plane I believe he said it was a little of 80 knots when they took off from LA). If you are inside the shock wave moving at the same speed as it, your airspeed is zero and you are NOT going to get airborne.

I could go on, but my team is about to play :)

Of course it’s about our planet, so it should respect our physics and geography and whatnot; but again, it is a movie, and it’s a sci-fi for that matter. You are presenting the goofs in a manner which makes the review look more like a frustration at how much fail the movie was. MOVIE. Not reality show. Flicks over the years have been known to disgrace every scientific fact ever; if we would stick to the rules then I guess it wouldn’t be much of a movie, would it?

But it is indeed a good review. Although I assume one should be extremely ignorant not to notice some of the most obvious goofs, such as the planets seen from outer space.

I think you missed a few goofs, though – the Antonov (or whatever the huge plane was) had its landing gear destroyed, therefor the initial plan to land in Hawaii was pretty stupid. And since we’re in Hawaii, they should probably think twice about landing there, since Yellowstone erupted not long ago, and considering the Pacific’s ‘fire ring).

Once again, good review.