2012 genre features table

2012 (2009) - Roland Emmerich

Genre Features Table

(unfinished)

Genre Feature	Example From Film
A scenario where the normal equilibrium of life is disrupted by unusual and violent events.	When Gordon and Kate are in the supermarket doing their shopping and all of a sudden the ground splits open because of an earthquake.
Characters from a range of backgrounds and with widely different personalities will often be thrown together by circumstance, and their interaction/conflict will be key to the narrative.	Jackson and his family and the Russian guy and his family end up together on the plane to China.
A hero or heroes who manage to overcome the disaster and save a small group of people (although the hero may die in the process).	Sasha who maneuvered the plane and saved Jackson and the other people that were on the plane with him.
There will be episodes where good characters will sacrifice themselves for the survival of the group.	Yuri sacrifices himself to save his children. Tamara sacrifices herself to save Lily and Caesar (the dog.)
Often a child or children will be present to add to the drama of the narrative.	Lilly and Noah, who are in the middle of the drama with their dad Jackson.
There will often be a romantic attachment between two characters.	Jackson and Kate, Kate and Gordon, Tamara and Yuri, Tamara and Sasha.
The cause of the disaster can often be sourced back to man’s incompetence, meddling or hubris; even if it is not down to these factors, man’s reaction to the disaster is shown to be flawed.	Table Cell
There will be an opening section where the key characters are sketched in and the disaster scenario is foreshadowed.	Table Cell
The initial impact of the disaster will result in the death of many people, leaving the narrative to focus on a small group.	Table Cell
Villains/unpleasant characters will eventually be killed, but the more sympathetic characters are not immune from death.	Table Cell
Even characters in the focus group will be killed during the narrative.	Table Cell
There will be a series of obstacles which the focus group must overcome to reach safety.	Table Cell
As most disaster films are Hollywood-made, the United States is often the scene of the disaster and its individuals/armed forces will often save the day.	Table Cell
There will often be a well-known cast affording an audience with the pleasure of guessing who will be the next victim.	Table Cell
The disaster will either run its natural course and subside, or the main protagonist/s (usually an unsung professional person who has more common sense than all the world leaders/politicians/military put together) will manage to execute a spectacular rescue or solve the conundrum of how to avert a cataclysmic disaster	Table Cell
There will often be a moral, a lesson to be learned by individuals or humanity at the end of the film.	Table Cell