Roland Emmerich is no stranger to disaster movies, having directed well-known ones like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012. Similar to the latter, his latest directorial endeavor, Moonfall, involves a conspiracy theory, but the truth of what’s really going on in the film’s plot is actually a lot stranger. Co-written by Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen, Moonfall is part disaster movie and part hardcore sci-fi drama that is occasionally thrilling, but gets more ridiculous and messy the longer it goes on.
In 2011, Jocinda (Halle Berry) and Brian (Patrick Wilson) are NASA astronauts whose space mission goes awry after a strange swarm attacks them and destroys their tech. Thereafter, Brian is blamed for the failed mission and the death of a fellow astronaut. He’s fired from NASA and, because no one believes what he saw in space, spends the next decade disgraced and struggling. Ten years later, NASA scientists discover the moon has been knocked out of its orbit somehow — a discovery conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) has known about, but has struggled to get people to listen to him. As the moon starts closing in on Earth, destroying and flooding entire cities, Jocinda, Brian, and K.C. go on a mission to defeat the space swarm and save the world from annihilation.
Moonfall does have moments of sheer entertainment, with thrilling escapes, and spectacular visual elements that make the catastrophe look and feel both dreadful and exciting. The mysterious space elements of the film add to the idea that humans may not know as much about the vastness and history of space as they believe. That said, the explanation given for the moon’s shift in orbit and subsequent fall to Earth is incredibly nonsensical and feels like it doesn't wholly belong in the film at all. Moonfall is occasionally fun, but it would have been a lot more so if it didn’t feel like it was taking itself so seriously. The dialogue is clunky and often so silly that the rigidity of the proceedings often doesn’t match. And while the film’s main premise is simple enough, Moonfall is littered with unnecessary exposition that weighs down the action. Emmerich could have used these instances instead to show the audience what’s happening rather than explain them.
Character relationships that seem rich with tension and angst are barely given time to breathe, which leaves the personal stakes lacking save for one character's journey. The back half of the film is also chaotic, with the action split between Brian, Jocinda, and K.C. on their space mission and those they left behind on Earth, including Brian’s son Sonny (Charlie Plummer), Jocinda’s son Jimmy (Zayn Maloney), and exchange student Michelle (Kelly Yu). With so much intrigue on the moon side of things, the subplot involving the latter group trying to make it to safety amid disaster while being chased down by gun-toting characters falls incredibly flat by comparison. It also slows down the momentum of the space mission and the discoveries Brian, Jocinda, and K.C. make on their end, all of which are far more engaging.
In Independence Day, the characters are given very little information about the aliens attacking, but Moonfall does the complete opposite by giving too much information about the moon, as though to justify the plot and set the stage for a sequel. However, the over-explaining makes Emmerich’s latest feel like two disparate movies — one that sticks with the basic tropes of a disaster movie and a hardcore sci-fi thriller that looks to expand on the mysteries surrounding the universe and humans’ place in it. It doesn’t quite have the capacity to be the latter, though it tries its hardest to make that happen.
All that said, Moonfall isn’t all bad. The cinematography by Robby Baumgartner is gorgeous and Earth, from space and on the planet itself, looks stunning. The visual effects — a tidal wave forming, a mountain being destroyed, earthquakes shattering the ground — all add to the intensity and foreboding of the film. The plot explanation is so ridiculous it’s almost funny, and the conviction with which the actors, especially John Bradley, who brings levity to every situation, say their lines will have anyone believing the severity of what’s going on. If nothing else, Emmerich certainly knows how to create catastrophe while providing a sense of hope despite everything. Does that save Moonfall from being messy? No, but surely some will find it enjoyable regardless.
Moonfall releases in theaters on the evening of Thursday, February 3. The film is 120 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for violence, disaster action, strong language, and some drug use.
