Moonfall

It sounds at first like the fantasy of a conspiracy theorist, but it turns out to be a catastrophic truth: Due to mysterious circumstances the moon has left its orbit and comes closer and closer to the earth. There is not much time left, then it will collide with our planet. But there may be one last chance to maneuver the moon back into its orbit. Former astronaut and NASA officer Jo Fowler (Halle Berry) takes on the task. Together with her disgraced ex-colleague Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) and cranky astro-expert K.C. Houseman (John Bradley), she launches into space to save humanity from extinction. But for what awaits them on the moon, the three are now really not prepared...

He has done it again: In "Moonfall" director Roland Emmerich once again confronts humanity with a, disaster scenario of apocalyptic proportions. This has visually some strong moments, but is otherwise incredibly dumb. The dialogues are clichéd and the characters are extremely one-dimensional. Especially in the plotlines around Brian's son and his stepfather (Michael Peña), which take place on Earth, the dramaturgy - if you can call it that - is so incredibly flat that you just can't believe that the script can be serious.

As good as some of the effects are, they reveal clear weaknesses at other moments. Photos that Jo looks at in one scene are so obviously poorly photoshopped that you wonder if there was an intern at work. And in far too many other moments, it's shockingly obvious that they were shot in a studio. One is used to better things from Emmerich - although he had more money from big studios at his disposal in earlier films, which is not the case here. Instead of first-class effects, there is not exactly subtle product placement, which is a real pity. Because if the effects work, then really really well.

There is really incredibly much that can be criticized at "Moonfall". So it would have been desirable, especially in these times, if Emmerich had been a little more critical or satirical with conspiracy theorists. Or if the script had not just been cobbled together from the usual phrases that are often used in this genre. Nevertheless, if you don't expect more than solid trash, you might be well entertained here. I rolled my eyes a few times in annoyance and once also hit my forehead in bewilderment - but I was never really bored.

"Moonfall" is not really a good film. But it also has an undeniable fun factor - whether intentional or unintentional. Undoubtedly Emmerich's weakest disaster movie so far, but if you like movies like "2012" and have no need for polished dialogue and sound logic, you can definitely risk a look here! All in all, that's enough for a hesitant, but benevolent: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp