'2012' ads unlikely to mention that Mayan elders dispute premise

So, what happens when you get exposed for building your entire marketing campaign for a mega-budget disaster movie on a foundation of sand? Probably not much if that movie is Sony's upcoming end-of-days CGI-a-thon 2012, whose ads scream, "We were warned," referring to Mayan predictions of a worldwide apocalypse that year. Now, Mayan elders say that while 2012 does mark the end of a significant cycle on their traditional calendar, it won't be the end of the world as we know it. But that's not a great tagline (and filmmaker Roland Emmerich has never been known for being subtle or grounded in truth). With the film still a month from release, Sony has sunk millions into its alarm-bell-style marketing, including a roadblock on Oct. 1 that stretched across broadcast TV, local and Spanish-language stations and 89 cable channels and was expected to reach more people than a Super Bowl buy. Every piece of the campaign, including a network of Web sites, has tried to steep potential moviegoers in its "truth," while relying on them to suspend disbelief. If history is any guide here, it'll work, and the flick will be a monster. But before you go, check out this video above, which strips the trailer of its special effects and leaves only the "acting" and "dialogue." Don't say you weren't warned.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley