Well, enthusiasm for the UMD format has died down considerably, Sony continues to release major films on the optical format. It actually turns out there's a pretty big market for the diminutive UMD movies after all. Still, we were somewhat surprised to see that the recent blockbuster 2012 has now been released for the PSP. Even 4 years after the original launch of the handheld, Sony's optical movie format is remains plagued by many of the little flaws that annoyed consumers in the first place. The biggest among those problems is the price: at $19.99, 2012 still costs more on UMD than it does on DVD. That doesn't make much sense considering that it lacks any of the special features present on other formats. Still as crazy as ever, we continue to love you Sony. Roland Emmerich's 2012 is one of the most awe-inspiring disaster films of all time. A scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) detects shifting continental plates and sun flares and realizes that this signifies the imminent destruction of the planet. At the same time, a novelist (John Cusack) takes his kids on a trip to Yellowstone; later he'll hook up with his ex (Amanda Peet) and her new boyfriend (Tom McCarthy) in a global journey toward safety. The plot is mainly forgettable, but it serves to connect together the various visions of mayhem around the globe: the Vatican falls over, the White House is clobbered (yet again) and the California coastline dives into the Pacific Ocean. Strangely while the dialog is mostly lame, the film does star a number of worthy actors. Cusack and Ejiofor are convincing even in the cheesiest material. Danny Glover plays the U.S. president while Woody Harrelson plays a conspiracy-theorizing radio host. Overall, you've got a fairly impressive cast to get you through the 2 hour run time. The UMD disc contains the main feature film as well as support for English and French subtitles. You can order 2012 from Amazon or eBay. |