The Sci-Fi Epic On Streaming That’s So Dumb It’s Wonderful
It’s not uncommon for your typical disaster movie to have a non-human antagonist in the form of a hostile alien takeover, or even a comet hurtling toward Earth. In other words, the drama that we so desperately crave often presents itself as a conflict between overreaching government agencies and civilians who find themselves at odds with one another in their efforts to battle some unknown force of nature. In the case of Moonfall, which can be streamed on Max, we don’t get much aside from “the moon is up to something, and we have to kill it.”
Despite Moonfall’s shortcomings, it’s incredibly fun to watch, and leans into all of the science-fiction disaster movie beats that we all know and love.
This Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) directed film could be described as a B-movie with a $146 million budget. The special effects and cinematography are quite impressive, but the screenplay leaves a lot to be desired. But despite Moonfall’s shortcomings, it’s incredibly fun to watch, and leans into all of the science-fiction disaster movie beats that we all know and love.
Moonfall’s story starts in 2011, when Brian Harper’s (Patrick Wilson) Space Shuttle, the Endeavor, gets attacked by some unknown anomaly that kills one of his crew members, and leaves the other unconscious. Upon his return to Earth, Harper is immediately disgraced by NASA because there were no other witnesses to the disaster, leading everybody to believe that he was responsible for the incident.
The rest of Moonfall takes place 10 years after the incident, and we learn that everybody should have taken Harper a little more seriously. Harper, who can barely make rent, but still somehow has disposable income to work on classic cars and motorcycles in his garage, makes a modest living through public speaking as a former astronaut.
We learn that Harper is estranged from his teenage son, Sonny, who is serving time in jail, and awaiting trial after getting in a highly publicized high-speed chase with the cops. Though Moonfall very much needs this secondary plot to make the story relatable, it spends too much time trying to establish drama on Earth, and it feels more like an afterthought rather than a primary source of tension.
But at the same time, the bickering between Harper, his ex-wife Brenda, and her new husband Tom, provides a healthy amount of comic relief. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman, is conducting his own research, and makes a shocking discovery about the moon that corroborates Harper’s initial claims.
In a classic “race against the clock” kind of scenario, Moonfall haphazardly jumps between these two settings for the remainder of the film, tries to put a neat bow on the narrative, while also trying to leave the ending open for a sequel.
Houseman has reason to believe that the moon is a man made mega-structure that is powered by a white dwarf star, and suspects the moon has been knocked out of orbit, causing irregular seismic and gravitational activity on Earth.
NASA makes a similar discovery, and wants to keep the issue under wraps. But Houseman already posted his findings on social media, and immediately causes a global panic, which carries Moonfall into its third act.
Harper suits up with Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry), the other surviving member from the 2011 incident, and Houseman. They defy logic in every conceivable way as they board a rocket with severely damaged engines, and their goal is to blow up whatever it is inside the moon that’s causing the disturbances.
At this point Moonfall is operating on two fronts: outer space, and Earth. Having reason to believe that the moon can detect the presence of electronics, the crew relies on Houseman’s on-the-fly hand-calculated flight paths without the guidance of an onboard navigation system. Luckily, Houseman is quite good at math, and they’re able to continue their mission as intended.
Back on Earth, Sonny gets himself into another high-speed chase, but this time he’s speeding away from looters who want his oxygen tanks. The chase sequences also defy logic, as the moon’s gravity seems to pick and choose what objects (and people) get thrown around.
In a classic “race against the clock” kind of scenario, Moonfall haphazardly jumps between these two settings for the remainder of the film, tries to put a neat bow on the narrative, while also trying to leave the ending open for a sequel.
The unfortunate reality is that Moonfall will likely not get a sequel because of how badly it bombed at the box office. Boasting a budget of $146 million, Moonfall only earned $67 million upon its release. In fact, Moonfall lost a reported $139 million once you factor in the marketing and distribution costs.
What Critics Say About Moonfall
Not only did the film perform poorly at the box office, it was critically panned upon its release, receiving a 35 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Moonfall may very well have been a failed attempt at recreating the glory Independence Day, but it’s still a highly entertaining disaster movie that deserves your attention. Though the premise is highly flawed, it still delivers a satisfying amount of action and comedic relief between otherwise highly predictable beats.
At the end of the day, we’re watching movies to be entertained, and if you log onto your Max account, Moonfall will satisfy this very need.
