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Special Features
Mayan Doomsday Prophecy: bonus documentary
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Roland Emmerich had a rollicking good time directing the fictional disaster pic 2012, but the History Channel's more clear-eyed documentary, Doomsday 2012: The End of Days, offers a more fact-based exploration of the Mayan prophesy of the end of the world. Doomsday 2012, like Emmerich's film, explores the intricate calendars invented by the Maya many centuries ago--calendars that scientists still marvel at (in fact, one of the three calendars the Maya invented, this special reveals, is actually even more accurate than the calendar currently in existence). The Maya, using sophisticated astronomy studies and mathematical formulas, were able to calculate equinoxes, eclipses, and other heavenly events many centuries ahead of time--with remarkable accuracy. In one Mayan calendar and one of the few surviving codices that are a key to the cryptograms, the Maya appear to predict that the world will end in 2012. Therein lies the irresistible tenet of fantasy disasters. But the reality is just as fascinating. Doomsday 2012: The End of Days is an excellent and enthralling history lesson, exploring the richness of Mayan culture, and explaining the studies of their calendars. Several experts illuminate the various means that the Maya had for their impressive measurements, yet most also say that the "doomsday" prediction of 2012 is open to interpretation. The special further looks at other predictions of doomsday throughout human history, which thus far, happily, have been wrong. This terrific boxed set also includes a bonus documentary that explores more deeply the science and methodology of the Maya and is a must-see for fans of Central American culture, as well as of science and science fiction. --A.T. Hurley
Product Description
It is a doomsday that is foretold in the Mayan calendar, the Chinese oracle of the I Ching...even in an Internet-based prophetic software program: December 21st, 2012. Is there any truth to the prophecy that the world will end on that specific date? And why do so many oracles throughout history seem to point to that same dreaded doomsday? This fascinating special cuts through the myths and offers a fact-based examination of the Doomsday prophecy.
Also included is a bonus documentary: MAYAN DOOMSDAY PROPHECY which delves even deeper into meaning behind the Mayans and their apocalyptic calendar.
Also included is a bonus documentary: MAYAN DOOMSDAY PROPHECY which delves even deeper into meaning behind the Mayans and their apocalyptic calendar.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Part of the End-of-the-World series of films from the History channel
June 3, 2010
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This film makes a worth-while addition to the series of films about ancient and recent prophecies regarding the alleged end of days on December 21, 2012. It certainly makes better viewing than the recent fictional film 2012. This one does not give much screen time to Nostradamus; that has been done in the History Channel film of that name. Since I have reviewed that DVD elsewhere on Amazon, I won't dwell on it here. This film DOOMSDAY 2012 stands on its own merits because it introduces information not touched upon in the former film -- e.g., the real Merlin called Myrddin in the Welsh, the sylbils from ancient Greece and Rome, and even a computer program called WEB BOT, which inadvertently made predictions about 9/11 and 2012 it was not originally created to make. This film also gives more attention to The Revelations of St. John in the Bible.
Of course, we have heard or read about the predictions of the star-gazing Mayans, the Hopis, the Egyptians, and the Masons. Persons we may not have heard about are such characters as Mother Shipton (Ursula Southill) and a real-life seer named Myrddin, perhaps the basis for the fictional Merlin in the King Arthur stories. It also gives needed attention to the ancient Chinese oracle the I Ching, a system of divination that pre-dates the others we have heard about. In fact, this film consults (no pun intended) just about every oracle except the Tarot and the Runes.
The filming of these programs is astonishingly well-done and credit should be given to the efforts of the producers and cinematographers. Credit should also be given to this program in particular for including the skeptics who want to share their "rational" perspectives on this topic. These are quality productions, not throwaway cheap-o commercial efforts like those we have seen, even theatrically, in the past. Footage from various quarters is well-chosen and skillfully included to aid the interviews with the experts on both side of the controversy.
When I showed this DVD to some Chinese students recently, I was aware of some wide-eyed reactions. One young lady, noted for her insightful comments in my classes, asked me if I believed that this could happen. I was hesitant to answer because I am aware of the impact that statements made by a professor can have. I told her that I thought the evidence was credible and well-presented -- convincing enough as an argument. As this and other programs have emphasized, we have choices. Being aware of these choices gives us the responsibility to try to influence actions that will benefit all mankind. What else can I say -- that I am totally convinced that the world will end on December 21, 2012? I am not. Do I think that significant changes may occur that may alter our existence as we know it? I think it is a distinct possibility. We have seen some of these events already -- earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, tidal waves, global warming indications, a sink hole opening up in Guatemala, a chunk of Antarctica the size of Rhode Island (exactly as predicted in the fictional film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) falling into the ocean. I grew up on the Mississippi River and saw what flood devastation could do. I saw what the waterfront of St. Louis looked like after it had been inundated. I have seen flooding in south Georgia (in the US), and the images of floating coffins after graveyards had been violated by torrents of water will also remain in my memory.
I cannot help but remember how frightened many people were about what would happen to worldwide computers at the end of 1999. I remember seeing people loading up their carts with water in the food markets. I also remember what a graduate professor once told me when I was writing about the lost continent of Atlantis and apocalyptic literature regarding the many times that the end of the world had been predicted in the past, which is also mentioned in this film. As she put it, many people don't want to consider the fact that the world might continue long after they are gone -- an interesting perspective, I thought.
However, it is apparent to many of us that to ignore the possibilities of future world-wide devastation is naive.
Then again, remaining naive is what we do best, isn't it? After all, it beats thinking every time.
Of course, we have heard or read about the predictions of the star-gazing Mayans, the Hopis, the Egyptians, and the Masons. Persons we may not have heard about are such characters as Mother Shipton (Ursula Southill) and a real-life seer named Myrddin, perhaps the basis for the fictional Merlin in the King Arthur stories. It also gives needed attention to the ancient Chinese oracle the I Ching, a system of divination that pre-dates the others we have heard about. In fact, this film consults (no pun intended) just about every oracle except the Tarot and the Runes.
The filming of these programs is astonishingly well-done and credit should be given to the efforts of the producers and cinematographers. Credit should also be given to this program in particular for including the skeptics who want to share their "rational" perspectives on this topic. These are quality productions, not throwaway cheap-o commercial efforts like those we have seen, even theatrically, in the past. Footage from various quarters is well-chosen and skillfully included to aid the interviews with the experts on both side of the controversy.
When I showed this DVD to some Chinese students recently, I was aware of some wide-eyed reactions. One young lady, noted for her insightful comments in my classes, asked me if I believed that this could happen. I was hesitant to answer because I am aware of the impact that statements made by a professor can have. I told her that I thought the evidence was credible and well-presented -- convincing enough as an argument. As this and other programs have emphasized, we have choices. Being aware of these choices gives us the responsibility to try to influence actions that will benefit all mankind. What else can I say -- that I am totally convinced that the world will end on December 21, 2012? I am not. Do I think that significant changes may occur that may alter our existence as we know it? I think it is a distinct possibility. We have seen some of these events already -- earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, tidal waves, global warming indications, a sink hole opening up in Guatemala, a chunk of Antarctica the size of Rhode Island (exactly as predicted in the fictional film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) falling into the ocean. I grew up on the Mississippi River and saw what flood devastation could do. I saw what the waterfront of St. Louis looked like after it had been inundated. I have seen flooding in south Georgia (in the US), and the images of floating coffins after graveyards had been violated by torrents of water will also remain in my memory.
I cannot help but remember how frightened many people were about what would happen to worldwide computers at the end of 1999. I remember seeing people loading up their carts with water in the food markets. I also remember what a graduate professor once told me when I was writing about the lost continent of Atlantis and apocalyptic literature regarding the many times that the end of the world had been predicted in the past, which is also mentioned in this film. As she put it, many people don't want to consider the fact that the world might continue long after they are gone -- an interesting perspective, I thought.
However, it is apparent to many of us that to ignore the possibilities of future world-wide devastation is naive.
Then again, remaining naive is what we do best, isn't it? After all, it beats thinking every time.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Libelle
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Where have all the good script writer's gone? There was so much potential... even a good story line, but a big let down on the ending. Remember the ending from "The planet of the Ape's," you could feel the emotional implication when he realized why the world had changed. The ending to Doomsday 2012 gave us nothing but fluff. This is not a movie I would keep in my "worth a repeat" cabinet.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
You may have about two and a half years to get your affairs in order! The countdown begins...NOW
May 2, 2010
Format:DVD
XXXXX
(NOTE that this review is for the documentary "Doomsday 2012," NOT to be confused with the science fiction movies "2012: Doomsday" and "2012")
"[December 21,] 2012: a date that is prophesized as the end of the world. But is there any science behind this dire prediction? Could ancient oracles truly predict the future? The answer could affect all of us because history shows a surprisingly good track record for those who say doomsday is almost here."
The above in quotation marks is found in the introduction to this documentary. There are three main threads to it:
(1) The end of the Mayan calendar and its associated prophesies of change. (The early Maya was a civilization of middle America noted for many things but especially for their mathematical and astronomical systems. They were initially established during the Pre-Classic period (circa 2000BC to 250) but disappeared upon the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s.)
(2) The work on the I Ching and the end of its cycle in 2012. (The I Ching {pronounced "EE Ching"} is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The earliest version of the texts date to the mid-4TH and early 3RD centuries BC. Also known as the "Book of Changes.")
(3) A computer program that scours the Internet for information it can use to predict major events, which also points to 2012 as being a rather nasty year.
Interspersed with these three main threads are several smaller, less specific prophesies that may or may not apply to our present time. It follows the format of combining talking-head comments (mainly authors, book editors, and publishers), stock footage, and dramatic re-enactments.
This documentary presents some good information about such things as ancient oracles, the Mayan Calender and I Ching, Merlin, and biblical prophesies. It attempts to cut through the myths and offer a fact-based examination of the doomsday prophesy.
However, I thought it was trying to be too sensationalistic and found it was prone to making wild speculations of what some prophesies could mean.
There is an extra and it turns out to be another documentary! This documentary is narrated by actor Edward Herrmann.
It explores the Mayan culture and its remarkable time-keeping skills more thoroughly than the first documentary does. This second documentary explains the Mayan calendar and the specifics of the prophesies that have been made.
I thought this second documentary was much better than the first or main one.
The DVD itself (released in 2009) is perfect in picture and sound quality.
Finally, I should explain my rating. I gave the first or main documentary 3.5 stars and the extra or second documentary 5 stars. My final rating is an average of these two ratings.
In conclusion, this documentary presents an insightful way of looking into something that...may or...may not happen.
**** 1/4
(2007; 90 min. {each documentary is 45 min.}; made for the History Channel; full screen; 12 scenes {each documentary has 6 scenes}; closed captioned)
<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>
XXXXX
(NOTE that this review is for the documentary "Doomsday 2012," NOT to be confused with the science fiction movies "2012: Doomsday" and "2012")
"[December 21,] 2012: a date that is prophesized as the end of the world. But is there any science behind this dire prediction? Could ancient oracles truly predict the future? The answer could affect all of us because history shows a surprisingly good track record for those who say doomsday is almost here."
The above in quotation marks is found in the introduction to this documentary. There are three main threads to it:
(1) The end of the Mayan calendar and its associated prophesies of change. (The early Maya was a civilization of middle America noted for many things but especially for their mathematical and astronomical systems. They were initially established during the Pre-Classic period (circa 2000BC to 250) but disappeared upon the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s.)
(2) The work on the I Ching and the end of its cycle in 2012. (The I Ching {pronounced "EE Ching"} is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The earliest version of the texts date to the mid-4TH and early 3RD centuries BC. Also known as the "Book of Changes.")
(3) A computer program that scours the Internet for information it can use to predict major events, which also points to 2012 as being a rather nasty year.
Interspersed with these three main threads are several smaller, less specific prophesies that may or may not apply to our present time. It follows the format of combining talking-head comments (mainly authors, book editors, and publishers), stock footage, and dramatic re-enactments.
This documentary presents some good information about such things as ancient oracles, the Mayan Calender and I Ching, Merlin, and biblical prophesies. It attempts to cut through the myths and offer a fact-based examination of the doomsday prophesy.
However, I thought it was trying to be too sensationalistic and found it was prone to making wild speculations of what some prophesies could mean.
There is an extra and it turns out to be another documentary! This documentary is narrated by actor Edward Herrmann.
It explores the Mayan culture and its remarkable time-keeping skills more thoroughly than the first documentary does. This second documentary explains the Mayan calendar and the specifics of the prophesies that have been made.
I thought this second documentary was much better than the first or main one.
The DVD itself (released in 2009) is perfect in picture and sound quality.
Finally, I should explain my rating. I gave the first or main documentary 3.5 stars and the extra or second documentary 5 stars. My final rating is an average of these two ratings.
In conclusion, this documentary presents an insightful way of looking into something that...may or...may not happen.
**** 1/4
(2007; 90 min. {each documentary is 45 min.}; made for the History Channel; full screen; 12 scenes {each documentary has 6 scenes}; closed captioned)
<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>
XXXXX
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