Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
Geostorm, is an action thriller directed by Dean Devlin and stars Gerard Butler, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris, and Andy Garcia. The plot begins when the network of satellites designed to control the global climate starts to attack Earth, and a dark conspiracy is uncovered to create the world’s largest storm…a Geostorm
Under The Lens: Mystery and Cast
Mystery: While Geostorm is billed as a disaster picture, the marketing is misleading as the core of the picture’s plot is a conspiracy thriller, with assassinations, hacking, and sabotage. The natural disasters are there, but only as a means to support the main mystery story, and while the villain’s motivations are somewhat lacking, the espionage was a refreshing take on a very worn and tired disaster genre. Most pictures of this genre are thin on plot and heavy on effects, and Geostorm while not lacking in effects does attempt to tell a well-plotted out story, with a few “Gotcha” moments.
Cast: Geostorm does not pretend to be high drama, to anything but an entertaining time at the cinema, but it managed to pack its cast, with such heavy hitters as Ed Harris, Gerard Butler, Abbie Cornish, and Andy Garcia. These actors and actresses all do there best to bring out the best in there otherwise fairly paper-thin characters, and for the most part, they deliver fairly decent performances, however, I find it hard to believe that Gerard Butler and Jim Sturgess were supposed to be brothers. Both men are good actors but they were not totally believable as siblings.
Highlights
The CGI and design of the satellite and space stations were top-notch and looked fantastic
The climactic car chase in the midst of a massive lightning storm was a exciting and fun setpiece
The flooding of Dubai scene was fun and used a location we often dont see in this kind of picture
Something to think about
How close are you with your family or siblings? Is there something that is keeping you apart, perhaps its time to try and mend that relationship?
Conclusion
Geostorm is a fun and light conspiracy mystery thriller with a healthy dose of disaster throw-in. It has a great cast of heavy hitters who all have decent chemistry with each other, however, the picture gets bogged down by its own lackluster rationale for its villainous plot, and is capped by a monologue that takes itself far too seriously for the type of picture it is trying to be. If you are a fan of conspiracy and disaster pictures then Geostorm offers enough fun and thrills to pass a lazy afternoon.
