Moonfall Review

 

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 130 minutes 

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry, John Bradley, Charlie Plummer, Michael Peña

Directed by: Roland Emmerich 

The story: Earth comes into peril when the moon is knocked out of its orbit by a mysterious and unknown force.

The verdict: If you are looking to hire someone to show Earth being victim to a catastrophic event with major cities being annihilated, then undoubtedly Roland Emmerich is the man for the job. Dubbed the ‘master of disaster,’ there’s not a famous landmark Emmerich won’t destroy with extreme verve. Thus, if you go into Moonfall expecting anything but a big, over the top CGI fest, then you are going to be severely disappointed. 

First and foremost, Moonfall’s story and supposed science doesn’t really make much sense. The idea that the moon is being knocked out of its orbit is a reasonably inspired one that even sort of makes sense, but boy oh boy that is only the tip of this disaster iceberg. There is a lot more to the impending apocalypse than that - you’ll need to strap in for this one.

Visually, Moonfall looks and feels like any other one of Emmerich’s disaster films. It’s big, brash and designed to make audiences go “look at that massive wave!” The gigantic, looming moon getting ever closer to earth was probably the standout visually.

Moonfall doesn’t ever attempt to be anything other than what it promised to be. It is an asinine and action-packed blockbuster and does exactly what it says on the tin. And the craziest part of it all? It is incredibly enjoyable.

Here’s the thing - yes, Moonfall is silly. Yes, Moonfall is absolutely ridiculous. But can the ridiculous become the sublime? Very possibly so in this case because in spite of all its faults, Moonfall may be one of the funnest cinema experiences of recent times. It’s bonkers, it’s funny and it’s certainly never boring - and wow do audiences need that right now. 

Blockbuster disaster films of this ilk feel few and far between and Moonfall is just the sort of mindless entertainment that the world needs right now. 

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️