Geostorm

Jack Lawson (Gerard Butler) is the architect of Dutch Boy, a satellite system that allows humanity to effectively control the weather. This system was created when the planet’s weather began to spiral out of control. For years, Dutch Boy worked perfectly until it started to malfunction and Jack Lawson is the only man who can fix it.

One of my former geography teachers said that The Day After Tomorrow was her least favourite movie because its “unrealistic”. I am willing to accept that running away from some cold weather that could kill someone instantly is a tad on the unrealistic side, but it’s a Hollywood movie, we’re all here to embrace the stupid. Now I admit we all have our little bugbears, for example any poker scene has my eye twitching like a bad guy bluffing the hero off the better hand but I try not let it damage the whole film.

However, lets face it The Day After Tomorrow is stupid, but Geostorm makes it look like the Stephan Hawking of disaster movies whilst simultaneously making 2012 look like the Neil Degrasse Tyson (without the arrogance of course) of disaster movies. However, the film works because it embraces its stupidity, it just wants to blow stuff up and see cities burn. Even that said, it is a long time before we do get to see cities get destroyed by freak weather (Hong Kong was first to be hit) and even when this happens there is not much is distance itself from the likes 2012, San Andreas, Twister, Day After Tomorrow, the list goes on.

It’s a film where the only real difference between the multitudes of similar films is that this was a deliberate targeted attack (no spoilers, it’s in the trailer). Like many films of similar ilk, Geostorm globetrots, we know we are in Arabia because the people are wearing traditional Arabic clothing, we know we’re in Rio because there are bikini clad women lying on beaches, we know we are in Russia because it’s cold and snowing and we clearly see Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square.

Even more clichés are ticked off with Gerard Butler’s gruff, wildcard, authority hating central character and various characters from the major markets in the world (China, US, France, Germany, UK) working together (commanded by an American no less) to save the planet so the human race can slowly, but surely, kill it in the future. Bizarrely, however, if you throw this all together, it’s quite enjoyable.

3/5