Moonfall

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry, John Bradley, Charlie Plummer, Michael Peña, Kelly Yu, Donald Sutherland

Director: Roland Emmerich

Ten years after a mysterious entity attacked a group of astronauts on a routine satellite repair led by Jo Fowler (Berry) and Brian Harper (Wilson), the moons orbit is knocked off course by the same mysterious entity. After megastructurist KC Houseman (Bradley) discovers what is going on with the moon, the now disgraced Harper is forced to reunite with Jo, whose friendship ended when she didn't back his story about what happened those many years ago, to lead a mission to stop whatever is happening with the moon and restore its orbit before it destroys life on Earth as we know it.

This should have been way more fun than it actually was. The trailer gave off the vibe that this would be a very tongue in cheek disaster film that the final product often fails to deliver on.

Upon its release, I was pretty vocal about the many inconsistencies and lack of intelligence in one of Emmerich's previous disaster films The Day After Tomorrow. Compared to Moonfall, that film is Shakespeare. From a lot of mumbo jumbo about mega structures, to a very dumb explanation to what is actually going on with the moon that culminates in eye rolling last minute heroics to save the Earth, this movie isn't short on dumb entertainment. Don't even get me started on plot inconsistencies like how KC is British but his mother has no trace of a British accent or how LA is drowned by a huge tidal wave but no one is reporting on it or seems concerned in the slightest. The problem is, Moonfall takes itself way too seriously. Movies like this should be a lot more fun than it ultimately was. It has its moments before it remembers to take itself seriously and becomes a slog. I won't spoil the ending, but once all is revealed about what is really going on with the moon, it's colossally dumb. And not in a good way.

But why am I even taking the time to talk about the plot? People don't come to these movies for that, they come for the destruction and special effects. While there are some of those moments, including the admittedly impressive "gravity wave," this is incredibly muted in that department, considering Emmerich's resume (Independence Day and its regrettable sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012). Some incredibly noticeable green screen and only scattered scenes of Earth's destruction hint that this $140 million dollar disaster pic is much more intimate. Which is a shame considering the human plot isn't engaging in the slightest.

There are a lot of good actors getting dragged down in this mess. Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry both are on board to get paychecks. Wilson, in particular, delivers his dialogue with the charisma of watching paint dry. Both are given families to add to the drama but only Berry's Jo is given one that you hope is saved. Michael Peña, usually added to give a burst of energy to the proceedings, is instead inexplicably cast as the new husband to Wilson's ex-wife, who only was added to pad the run time and add human "drama." Donald Sutherland shows up for two minutes and is never heard from again. It's all bizarre and makes me wonder if there is a longer cut out there that somewhat makes sense of not only the plot, but the casting as well.

Despite all the evidence, I went in hoping to have fun with this one. It's a shame Emmerich and company couldn't deliver on a basic level.

Grade: D