When it comes to destroying the world, no one does it like Roland Emmerich. The blockbuster director known for delivering end of the world spectacles such as 1996's Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012, gives audiences another apocalyptic ride with Moonfall which has Oscar winner Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson as the main leads. Carrying a budget of $140 million, Emmerich sets out to destroy the world again while utilizing familiar formulas and tired character cliches that come with a traditional Emmerich flick. The end result is a mildly fun though forgettable Sci-Fi disaster movie, that ultimately delivers on its promise of destroying the world in extremely cheesy B movie fashion.
Moonfall's plot places the world on the brink of annihilation when a mysterious force knocks the moon from orbit, sending it on a collision course with Earth. With just weeks left until impact, it's up to NASA executive Jocinda "Jo" Fowler (Halle Berry) to team up with a fellow astronaut from her past and a conspiracy theorist (Patrick Wilson and John Bradley) for an impossible mission into space to rescue humanity. Moonfall's story feels like it would land right at home with 90's style disaster movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon with the plot being absolutely absurd and including key scenes involving the worlds destruction that showcase impressive CGI. The film both looks and feels very much like a Emmerich style disaster flick with the same generic scenario being used along with stereotypical character tropes. Although it's certainly not a film that one would view as being particularly good, it's story is so over-the-top and ridiculous that it can be serviceably fun to watch under the right expectations.
When it comes to performances, Moonfall's cast does well in elevating it to the point of being watchable with Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson make the most of their roles as former NASA astronaut now Deputy Director Jocinda Fowler, and Wilson as the latters former colleague and disgraced former astronaut Brian Harper. Both actors not only showcase strong chemistry, but look as if they're having a blast with their roles. Berry nails the strong female astronaut turned administrator and mother fighting to save the world role perfectly. John Bradley hammers it up as conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman, who uncovers the Moon being artificial and heading towards Earth. In a role that feels as if it would've been better suited for someone like Josh Gad, Bradley provides the appropriate goofiness and brains that his character requires. Though his character isn't given much to do, Michael Pena is likeable as Brian's ex-wife's husband Tom. Other noteworthy performances include Charlie Plummer as Brian's estranged son Sonny Harper with foreign exchange student and Jocinda's nanny Kelly Yu. Donald Sutherland appears in a blink and you'll miss it role as a former NASA official Holdenfield, and Eme Ikuakor as Jocinda's ex-husband and Four-Star United States Air Force General Doug Daviddon. Overall, everyone doing a fine job of selling the worlds perilous state in Moonfall.
Like Emmerich's other disaster films, he applies large scale destruction here with the film being full of intense destruction sequences which include tsunami super waves, flooding, and meteors detonating like bombs. When it comes to destroying mankind, Emmerich does so in epic fashion while appearing to have a blast doing so. He provides enough eye candy for the audience with the films stellar visual effects, that have become a massive staple with his previous disaster works. In addition to presenting numerous scenes including world destruction, the space scenes shown draw strong comparisons to both Gravity and 2001: A Space Odyssey. With its two hour running time, the films pacing always remains fast-moving with the world's destruction never feeling as if it overstays its welcome. With Moonfall, Emmerich gives audiences another global destroying spectacle that's a visual sight to behold as mankind's demolishing steadily progresses. While not the most groundbreaking of Emmerich's films technologically, it boasts enough visual flare for the eyes.
Despite dazing audiences visually, Moonfall's scriptwriting finds itself on uneven ground with its premise relying heavily on familiar character tropes and subplots lifted from other Emmerich directed disaster-themed films. The characters of Jocinda and Brian are established well enough to make them workable as the films main characters, though K.C feels strikingly similar to Jeff Goldblum and Matthew Broderick's characters from Independence Day and Godzilla. Emmerich recycles the same formulaic character structure of an intelligent yet nerdy individual who discovers what's happening, and becomes the only person who can figure out how to save mankind. Brian is shown as being a neglectful father to his estranged son, yet conveniently redeems himself as the end nears. Such a subplot feels lifted from Emmerich's The Day After Tomorrow with the audience questioning why they should get behind his character besides saving the world considering he ending up getting terminated, divorced, and ultimately broke from a space mission that went bad years prior. The rest of the characters are serviceable with some even feeling borrowed from Emmerich's other films (Tom's character is the typical throwaway stepfather that audiences rooted against in 2012). In terms of writing, there is no originality present with characters existing solely to move the films plot along to the next big destruction sequence.
Whether one enjoys Moonfall depends on their tolerance of previous Emmerich disaster-oriented works as its story structure is repetitive with the main threat being the moon. The film is one that knows exactly what it is and bears no shame in carrying out its story in B movie form. This feels like the type of Saturday night disaster flick that audiences would've eaten up a decade or so prior. Though its plot won't engage anyone's brain and is perhaps the most laughable of Emmerich's movies, Moonfall still manages to pass off as being fun Sci-Fi disaster mayhem that delivers in the moment but will become instantly forgettable afterwards. As long as one doesn't look too much into it's plot, they'll have a reasonably fun time.
Final Verdict: If there's nothing else to watch, why not.
Images Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
No comments:
Post a Comment