VADigger

A young girl reappears after a two week absence with a fantastic story of having been held captive by two women in an isolated house. The police seem disinclined to investigate deeply, so it is up to the women's lawyer to uncover the truth.

The movie is extraordinarily faithful to the book; indeed, entire pages of dialogue are transferred to the screen. The biggest change is in the nature of how the truth is disclosed, which is both tidier and more believable in the film.

The story is less a mystery than a character study, and in this the film falls flat. The most interesting character, the girl, is almost an aside. A section of the book that outlines her background and fills out her story has been dropped, and the film is poorer for that.

Still, you're likely to find it an intriguing film, if not one you'll rush to see again.

A unexpected sequence of events diverts the first manned rocket ship to the moon to Mars, where remains, both material and animal, are found of a once great civilization.

The "science" in this movie is as simplistic and charmingly naive as in every other space movie of its time - the instrument panel looks like it was recycled from an old Buick. But X-M does get extra credit for a few things. The theme of the destructive power of nuclear war; the highly atypical downbeat ending; and the first use of the theremin in a sci-fi soundtrack, the precursor of countless movies to come.

If not in the first rank of great 50s sci-fi, X-M is an earnest little movie that has little to be ashamed of.

An average Joe tries to heal his dysfunctional family while also trying to survive a global cataclysmic disaster. Now, where have we seen that before?

The premise may be cliche, but no one goes to a movie like this for the story. You go to watch things get creatively blown to smithereens, and 2012 should satisfy anyone's lust for destruction. Volcanoes! Earthquakes! Tsunamis! And through it all is our hero, pedal to the metal in one vehicle after another, dodging all manner of collapsing buildings, pyroclastic flows, and surface upheavals.

It all goes on a bit too long, the seemingly endless barrage of close escapes gets a bit ridiculous, but it really doesn't matter. You love this stuff or you don't, and one must admit the closing gimmick is inventive. So grab that jumbo bucket of popcorn, put your brain on hold, and settle in for the ride.