1 out of 5 stars
It is a tale as old as time itself; the idea that the world will eventually come to an end has existed since humanity has been able to tell stories. This dire concept holds true for conspiracy theorists through to most world religions. Yet, how that will happen is up for debate and speculation. At the same time, many people think that mankind can combat this fateful conclusion to exist. Moonfall is one of the latest films to show how this battle to save planet Earth is one worth fighting, even though it may seem relatively futile and ridiculous in the end.
This run at the planet does not involve an asteroid or have some bizarre connection to climate change. Instead the threat to life on earth is the moon itself. Inexplicably, a mysterious force causes it to leave its orbit and head in the inevitable direction of the planet it has been circling since the beginning of time. As the world's governments determine their response to the imminent threat, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Halle Berry) thinks she has come upon the solution.
Still, no one else thinks her option is viable except a conspiracy theorist named K.C. Houseman (John Bradley). Until they convince one of her former astronaut colleagues, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson), to join them in their extremely dangerous operation, the only solution seems to be nuclear weapons. Thankfully, Brian begins to see that this unlikely plan might be the only means of saving the world. As they try to decide what they can do with their information, this unlikely trio tries everything they can to save the human population while the sky literally is falling down. Let the Chicken Little jokes begin and screaming commence.
There should be no surprises when the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow calls the shots that this film will be a visual spectacle hiding a horrific screenplay. Despite having an admirable cast and bucket loads of cash to burn up in the atmosphere, Roland Emmerich delivers an unintentionally comedic storyline opposed to the world-killing, sci-fi adventure it hopes to become. Even though he relies heavily on pseudo-science to explain his unbelievable premise and possible solutions, there is nothing scientific about the concepts introduced within the storyline. Still, this movie will make many viewers embrace their suspected distrust of Siri, Alexa and all of the artificial intelligence that influences our world.
The famed director utilises the sleight-of-hand filmmaking method of incorporating stunning special effects to distract from the embarrassing use of his actors. Emmerich leaves Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and Micheal Pena in stunned disbelief as they are left to deliver some of the worst dialogue of their careers. (Even though some have Catwoman on their resume) Then he takes this aspect to further depths with the underutilisation of Donald Sutherland and the eventual deification of Elon Musk. All of which could be excusable if there was effective or believable character development, but that is as difficult to find as actual scientific facts.
Now, this is what you have been waiting for if you enjoy a bit of escapism that incorporates the apocalyptic battle between humanity and our closest celestial neighbour. In a world turned upside down by a pandemic where conspiracy theories are a daily ritual, some of this screenplay may prove to be believable and embraced by some. While others might be laughing uncontrollably in disbelief at how $145M could be misspent and wondering how this story could be stretched out for over two hours. If anything, Moonfall does prove that things could be a lot worse than they are right now in history.
Reel Dialogue: Is there a Creator? (Spoiler alert)
A creator has been at the heart of many scripts and screenplays in cinematic history. We can see that some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers still see the origins story of life as a critical question to be considered. Moonfall manages to credit an alien race trying to survive a cosmic battle.
Is there any hope in answering the question of the existence of a creator? Thankfully, we have been given substantial pieces of evidence to the presence of a divine maker. Some of these indications can be classified as general revelation. This means that by simply looking out at nature or at the magnificent ecosystems of the earth and the creation of humans, there is an awareness of a designer behind the scenes. Trees, gravity or the birth of a child can support the argument for a supreme maker, but these generalities do command some backup.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. John 1:1-3
This reinforcement can be found in the Bible and is labelled as special revelation. Studied and scrutinised documentation that comes alongside science. Nature proves that there is an architect behind the beautiful architecture of the world and those who live in it.
