The changing climate causes various natural disasters. To counter this the world has decided upon a high-tech shield around the globe controlling these weather phenomena. However, one day the people who created this life-saving ‘shield’ find their creation hacked and causing global mayhem; leading up to a world-destroying ‘Geostorm’.
No this isn't the Inception poster BTW...
Geostorm isn’t a good movie; not by a long shot. But I’d be surprised if anyone working on it ever expected it to be ‘good’.
Intermezzo: the destruction of science fiction.
There are a few hot topics that Hollywood doesn’t like to touch. The best known example of this would be a critical movie about the state of Israel (only Spielberg got away with this one).
Mainly these topics are defined by the times. Now in 2018 we live in a delicate era where race and gender are hot topics. So Black-face-jokes are out. The N-word should never be uttered unless a character him/herself is African American. And, concerning gender, housewives are out, every woman should have a meaningful job and at least three minutes of dialogue that doesn’t deal with her ovaries.
In fact, Hollywood is bending itself over backwards to find ways to make female
characters more than just a pretty picture (and failing hilariously).
A third element I wish to pose here is science: people, nowadays, take offence when science is brought to the table as some sort of magic MacGuffin.
We’ve got the Internet to thank for that. We, the people, are getting smarter. One wiki-search and we know how things work and –apparently- we expect the movies to teach us true science.
I’m on two minds about this. The silly refrigerator escape in Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull looked marvellous (with Indy backlit by a nuclear explosion). Of course it couldn’t happen, but it looked cool. By wanting ‘perfect’ science people grounded the imagination.
This trend is actively taking over the Star Wars-universe where people are
examining the sci-fi technology there (or why flames can exist in the vacuum of space).
In this sense Geostorm is a movie ‘too late’. Back in the early 2000s’ this movie would’ve been a sure-fire hit.
Continuing…Instead Geostorm is very entertaining. This movie strikes the balance quite right between goofy and serious.
Accepting this I will never understand the (online) people denouncing this movie as utter trash by awarding it a ‘one’ out of ten.
These people have no filter, everything is black or white to them. Very strange.
I, myself, have only seen a handful of movies that I might consider handing out a ‘one’ to. White chicks got very close.
So reading this review you have to keep in mind that most of the faults in this movie are obvious to me. However, the entertainment-value of this movie has won me over – so that’s the reason for the positive tone you’ll be reading.
So here’s the actual review…
Should aliens ever visit the planet I am sure that they will ask us humans why we keep on making movies in which we destroy the planet – then save it – than wilfully destroy it in real life.
We can’t blame them for wondering because we all kind of wonder ourselves.
There are various ways of looking at it: from a cultural religious perspective,
a nihilistic perspective or even an scientifically evolving perspective.
In short: why we keep on destroying the world nobody fully knows.
Geostorm is the next movie in the long list of world destroying movies and it is great. Solidly produced it has a screenplay that ticks all the boxes we want in this genre and the special effects to underline it.
Truth be told the budget was too small to fully destroy the entire planet (Europe apparently survived). And it shows. But, then again, the movie does put in a rather clever line as to why we only see certain countries getting destroyed.
But who cares about the impending Armageddon when the movie delivers such a nice ride with charming characters.
Truly Butler and Sturgess are wonderfully keyed onto each other as the two bickering brothers saving the world.
A small lie on the poster – Butler has two scenes with his daughter and in neither
of those scenes does he need to save her from a tidal-wave.
Because Geostorm is so utterly predictable you check your mind at the door. And even though the movie is smart enough to actually put some real (computer)science in the science fiction plot it is no requirement to actually think.
SPOILER: As predictability goes: we all knew the president was innocent the minute it turned
out he was a democrat.
And naturally there had to be a hero Mexican in the movie – because, well current political tensions.
Another thing I like to say about this movie is the three great woman performances who are all against type: A computer-wizz who works her magic on the keyboard without actually being a socially awkward super geek. A tough as nails bodyguard who does in fact have love to give. And a German astronaut with a sense of humour.
Moreover, neither of them need any saving.
The astronaut once but only after she saved Butler several times.
I could fill the rest of this review with cinematography, directing, art-direction, screenplay and acting. But to be honest: they are all (just) okay.
Geostorm is just a fun time at the movies. Ten years ago this would be a smash hit. Nowadays it’s just ‘fun’. This is the movie you watch at a relaxing Friday night after a long week of working. Just relax and have Gerard Butler save the day.
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