(spoiler free)
If Gerard Butler’s recent filmography (‘Gods of Egypt’, ‘London Has Fallen’) is anything to go by it should have been pretty obvious how ‘Geostorm’ was going to turn out. Hope of a so bad it’s good scenario was one of the only potential saving graces of a film that maybe would feel more at home in decades past. Nonetheless I buckled in for what I expected to be a bumpy ride and gave ‘Geostorm’ the benefit of the doubt.
The first two acts of the film are disappointingly serious. There is a little humour included but it was the less intentional comedy moments that were lacking. It tries too hard to be somewhat credible instead it should have truly embraced the bonkers nature of it’s literally out of this world narrative. Furthermore, there just isn’t enough action. Too much time is spent outside Earth’s atmosphere aboard the International Climate Space Station, which overseas the satellites protecting Earth from extreme weather, instead of scenes showcasing this very threat! Thankfully the third act throws all caution to the wind and it’s then when ‘Geostorm’ becomes the big blockbuster fun that it should have been from the very beginning. The finale is entertaining for sure but it’s too little too late not offering anything truly memorable to make this a critical or even cult success.
The cast are all fine, this type of film doesn’t really inspire the best of performances. Butler is in his element here playing the macho-dad type role and he wasn’t a bad casting choice for this film. However, he never really gets the chance to have enough fun with the role, he could have added a lot more if the script had of been more playful. The rest of the cast deliver mixed quality performances but they are all serviceable for the film. Serviceable could also be a word used to describe the effects used in ‘Geostorm’. Most of the sequences set in space actually look decent but most of the weather sequences only just about hold up, although this less critical reaction could be due to the lack of the audience investment in the overall film.
Neither credible enough to be taken seriously or boisterous enough to become entertaining ‘Geostorm’ misses the mark pretty badly. The film keeps viewers waiting too long for the mindless popcorn entertainment that a film like this should be drowning in. Lacking the essential suspense and energy that is needed for this genre I can’t imagine this disaster flick is going to go down a storm!
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 4/10
Question: Do you prefer your disaster movies to be serious or fun?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)
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