2012 Is A Sequel (SPOILERS)

I went to see 2012. 2001 is of course, a classic, and 2010 is not bad, so I was hoping that the final part of the trilogy would hold up.
Imagine my surprise to discover that it was actually the sequel to THE ICE HARVEST!
As you recall, Charlie and Pete drive off into a chilly KS dawn at the end of the original. To the filmmakers' credit, they don't have a recap or title card or anything at the start of this film reminding us of this. For once, Hollywood assumes intelligence on the part of its audience.
We soon figure out that, quite sensibly, Charlie and Pete (both actors return to their original roles) have changed identities and are in the midst of their new lives.
Another intriguing and dare I say it, atypical Hollywood choice, is that Charlie's and Pete's new lives have taken them in different directions, and the characters are not only no longer in KS (again, very reasonable) but indeed, are never even in the same room throughout the film! However, Pete does see Charlie on a video monitor near the end of the film, and you really have to hand it to Oliver Platt for a superbly subtle and evocative job as the emotions play across his face. So nuanced is it in fact, that those who have no knowledge of the first film will be able to make fine sense of the entire film as its own independent narrative, and not just this all-important moment and scene.
Another nice aspect is that, for those who prefer to see the ending of the original film as Charlie and Pete in the afterworld, this film can be read in a similar way. Charlie even says "I'm a dead man!" several times in his opening scene. Still more evocatively, it could also be seen as a dying fantasy a la An Occurrence (aka Incident) At Owl Creek Bridge.
The title (2012) is a true puzzle, since I'm sure I can't be the only one who was expecting part three of the Space Odyssey Trilogy. Some weird convoluted corporate copyright thing, no doubt.
Just as both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace seem to add a new dimension to each other when viewed in tandem, so will Ice Harvest and 2012.