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New '2012' movie is disgraceful, anti-Catholic attack

NIALL O'DOWD

IrishCentral.com Publisher

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 12:03 PM

Updated Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 12:15 PM

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Read more: Roland Emmerich, Christianity, Culture and Lifestyle, Religion, Roman Catholicism, Hollywood, John Cusack, Vatican, Rio de Janeiro, George Michael

Video / Watch the ‘2012’ trailer / Click here

"2012," the new blockbuster movie from director Roland Emmerich about the end of the world, is clearly anti-Catholic. It stars Irish-American actor John Cusack, who is obviously along for the payday.

Now, I'm no Bill O'Donohue, the blowhard head of the Catholic League who sees blasphemy in every mention of his religion not stamped and approved by the Vatican — and most of the time Bill and I disagree strongly.

But "2012" is something else.

Consider the trailer I just watched. As the Website Creative Minority Report noticed:

At the 20 second mark: The arms of the Jesus the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro fall off and the statue topples.

34 seconds: 50,000 people with candles standing in St. Peter's Square look up at the Pope, who's looking down at them.

36 seconds: Lots of people all making the sign of the Cross. Then the fireballs begin to drop.

50 seconds: There's an image of St. Peter's Basilica toppling.

52 seconds: The trailer cuts to Cardinals inside praying as they see the art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel breaking apart, and presumably crushing them.

54 seconds: Those people who were praying with candles outside are now screaming and running. The dome of St. Peter's is crashing down on top of them.

Holy Toledo, that's a lot of destroyed Catholic icons right there!

We don't see Mecca crumbing, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir fleeing the premises. No sings of Hindu gods crashing or the Taj Mahal collapsing.

No, just good old Catholic mayhem.

Emmerich has made no bones about his own anti-religious bias.

The Guardian reports that in his house "Mao and Lenin fill the length of the living room wall, and an Old Master-style painting of the Crucifixion shows Jesus sporting a Wham T-shirt"

Wham was the group started in the 1980s by George Michael, who is nowadays most famous for being arrested for soliciting sex outside men's bathrooms in Britain.

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Posted by dunbekin36 on November 17,2009 | 02:29PM

I have no desire to see this movie. God is watching and he decides when the world ends. And it will.

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Posted by brianmack on November 15,2009 | 04:45PM

Have the commentators seen this movie? I did and there is no way this movie is anti-Catholic! Now I have seen many that were and too am upset but this is a great flick if you like "special effects." In fact, the best, IMO, special effects movie I have ever seen. Anti-Catholic? In almost every case Niall I agree, but I actually thought this was going to be a joke. (not to be disrespectful)

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Posted by mohammed on November 12,2009 | 11:45AM

i was trying to say dont as the movie maker to attac your religon.. when you guys attacing other religons

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Posted by mohammed on November 12,2009 | 11:43AM

why you people want islamic holy lend to be destroed is this the love of jesess message. how come you bring the islam with no respect to all muslim and you as the maker to respect you ..... if you dont respect your self no one will respect you...... our prophet said the peole are brothers ether by religon or by human kind.... sorry if i miss spell english its my secound language... thank you

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Posted by surfcity on November 12,2009 | 10:37AM

As a sometimes movie-goer (depending on whether I consider it worth my time and money), awhile ago decided, after that horrible piece of junk, Knowing, that I'm not going to support or go to see any more disaster end-of-the-world movies, period. The fact that it's anti-Catholic doesn't surprise me and is par for the course for this genre of movie.

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Posted by steveohreno on November 12,2009 | 09:24AM

I AM AN ATHEIST but that beingsaid you can actually see this not as an attack on catholics but something that shows the positive aspects of people of this faith. The director actually said that he was afraid to show a scene destoying the Kabba in Mecca because he was afraid of a muslim lashback revenge through Fatwah. So i think itshows catholics a tolerant an openminded people who wont overreact to cheap entertainment at the same time shows Muslims (not all Muslims) but the Imams and leaders who are so insecure or exploitive that they will take this and react badly to it. This is why Cathloics monuments were destroyed and not Muslim monemuments. think about it.

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The Irish movies industry has grown somewhat in recent years thanks partly to the promotion of the sector by The Irish Film Board and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. Some of the most successful Irish movies include The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Intermission (2001), Man About Dog (2004), Michael Collins (1996), Angela's Ashes (1999), The Commitments (1991) and Once (2007). In 2005 a Jameson Whiskey-sponsored poll selected the top 10 Irish movies: 1. The Commitments (1991), 2. My Left Foot (1989), 3. In the Name of the Father (1993), 4. The Quiet Man (1952), The Snapper (1993), 6. Michael Collins (1996), 7. The Field (1990), 8. Intermission (2003), 9. Veronica Guerin (2003), 10. Inside I'm Dancing (2004). In the past many Irish movies were censored or banned, owing largely to the influence of the Catholic church, although virtually no cuts or bans have been issued in recent years. Ireland has also proved a popular location for shooting films, largely due to the tax breaks, with The Quiet Man (1952), Braveheart (1995), Reign of Fire (2002) and King Arthur (2004) all being shot in Ireland. The first film ever shot in Ireland was The Lad from Old Ireland (1910), which was advertised as "The first ever film recorded on two continents". The Irish movie was a short silent story about a young Irishman who went to the USA to find riches, before returning home to save his family home from creditors. The first cinema in Ireland (the Volta) was opened in 1909. Ireland has a high rate of cinema admissions — the highest in Europe. The biggest multiplex Irish movies chain in the country is Ward Anderson (owners of the Cineplex, Omniplex, and Savoy brands), with other cinemas being owned by United Cinemas International, Cineworld (formerly UGC Cinemas), and Vue (formerly Ster Century). One of the largest Irish owned independent cinema chains is Storm Cinemas, with cinemas currently in Belfast, Limerick, Waterford, Navan, Naas, Portlaoise and Cavan. In Autumn 2005, a new multiplex cinema chain, Movies(at) entered the market, opening its first cinema in Dundrum, with Galway and Swords sites to come. There is also a large video rental market for Irish movies, dominated by Xtravision, a subsidiary of Blockbuster.

New '2012' movie is disgraceful, anti-Catholic attack

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