Dean Devlin has been behind a majority of the biggest disaster films of the 90s. From Independence Day to Godzilla, no one did it like he did. After several years, Devlin returned to the genre with last year’s lackluster Independence Day: Resurgence. Now, Devlin makes feature debut with his brand new take on the disaster film. Does Devlin revive the disaster genre as he did in the 90s with Geostorm?
Even though disaster films were never meant to be Oscar-winning films, Geostorm is on a whole other level of bad. Fortunately, if you’re able to see this in 4DX then it’s definitely worth the price of admission.
Geostorm follows the society as they come together to build a system that’ll protect humanity from strong natural disasters. The system is called “Dutch Boy”. But when “Dutch Boy” malfunctions, it’s up to Jake and Max Lawson to uncover the truth behind “Dutch Boy’s” and its dangerous malfunctions.
As much as disaster films are Dean Devlin’s thing, he tries to do something different with Geostorm. Geostorm isn’t just an outright disaster film, but it’s a political thriller as well. It’s a conceptually interesting idea. However, the film doesn’t live up to the smart idea at all. For one thing, the dialogue is absolutely terrible. There are many moments where the dialogue is so bad that it’s laughable. It’s a new level of bad even with Godzilla on the list.
In addition, Devlin decides to direct the film himself instead of his frequent collaborator, Roland Emmerich. For the most part, Devlin captures some of the craziness of Emmerich’s disaster films. Meaning it’s loud, obnoxious, and nonsensical. If that’s your thing then Geostorm is right for you. Just don’t expect to see a lot of disaster in this film. Devlin chose to focus more on the political thriller aspect of the film. This is where most of the film’s intrigue comes from.
The mystery of who has taken over “Dutch Boy” is a compelling one. Devlin does a good job masking who the culprit is for most of the film. Yet after a while, audiences will realize who it is and it’s a convenient choice.
Unfortunately for Devlin, his screenplay and direction don’t seem to bring out the best in his cast. Gerard Butler also struggles to act out his lines. Especially as he tries to say the scientific gibberish within the script. In addition, Butler seems to have no interest in the material and looks to just cruise through the film. Jim Sturgess is a capable actor but he struggles mightily to act out his lines. He overacts in the film and I wonder if he’s doing this in order to overcompensate for the bad script.
Abbie Cornish provides a wooden performance as Sarah Wilson. In addition, there seems to be a lack of chemistry between her and Sturgess. The film’s biggest surprise is Zazie Beetz and Alexandra Maria Lara in their limited roles. Beetz is funny and sarcastic while Lara is confident and strong.
As bad as the film is, the film is incredibly fun in 4DX. The film seems to be tailor-made for this format. The seats accurately shake and rock whenever things begin to happen. The same goes for the water effects as well. This is the type of situation where the 4D experience greatly enhances the overall movie experience.
Overall, Geostorm is a mindless disaster film that crumbles underneath the weight of its concept. Although it was a valiant effort to do something different with the disaster genre, it wasn’t enough. If the actors aren’t fully involved in this disaster then why should audiences?
Rating: 2/5 atoms
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