In the name of the moon… I WILL PUNISH YOU EXTREMELY
Due to an unfortunate accident, a routine repair mission led by Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) ends with the tragic death of one of the crew members. Ten years later, not much happens in the life of the former astronaut – the public investigation humiliated him in the eyes of the public and his colleagues, his wife took the children and went to another man, with cash shortly, and the specter of an imminent eviction hangs over Harper himself. Everything has a chance to change when he stands in his way of the Ph.D. KC Houseman (John Bradley-West) – a promoter of theories known in alternative scientific circles… not necessarily in line with the scientific consensus. He claims that he was on the trail of the revolutionary discovery that the Moon fell out of its orbit and was heading for a collision course with the Earth. The theory, though cosmic at first glance, confirmed by beginning a panicked ominous countdown. The only hope for saving the planet may be a suicide mission, which Harper is to undertake together with his former collaborator, Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry).
The megastructure will stand
During his decades-long career, Roland Emmerich has proved to be an artist who loves destruction in particular. Titles such as Independence Day , Godzilla , The Day After Tomorrow or 2012 both amused and terrified viewers, feeding on subcutaneous fears and collective paranoia. It should come as no surprise then that the director uses proven tricks in his latest production. Moonfallit is primarily a spectacle. So if the only thing you expect from this type of cinema is spectacular beheading, perhaps Emmerich will tempt (or already tempt) you to a screening. However, if – as the one writes these words – you involve at least one gray cell during it, the problems will multiply rapidly.
Apocalyptic visions usually go hand in hand with the propagation of all sorts of conspiracy theories. The German director apparently was unable to decide on just one, so … he decided to use them all, and made their enthusiast (self-proclaiming himself an academic title) one of the key figures. As a result, the script (co-created by Emmerich himself, Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen) gives the impression of a grim hybrid of the QAnon forum, an advertisement for a certain Russian antivirus, Elon Musk fan club and Chinese propaganda material. There is no room for subtlety here; gentlemen, as befits decent brawlers, only use hyperbole. So it is both hypernihilistic and hyperpatriotic, ordinary people in the face of hyperdestruction show surprising hyperheroism, while the hyperpowered agencies tuck their tails and flee into the hyperbunker. And only the laws of physics (it would seem that in the case of a mission in which NASA is involved – hyper-essential) go somewhere distant. Anyway, what’s the point of them, when on the Moon itself, brave hyperheroes are waiting for … a hyper-surprise. Absurdities pile up tirelessly while rejecting any measure of self-awareness. Emmerich’s theories more and more detached from the ground are presented with full conviction, every now and then adjusting the well-rolled foil cap on his head. Under normal circumstances, it may and would evoke a smirk of pity, but today – in the face of efficiently operating troll farms, agents of chaos and the disinformation spreading on social media – worshiping the imaginary,
Space crap
Every once in a while Neil deGrasse Tyson – arguably the most recognizable modern astrophysicist – compiles a list of the stupidest (from the scientific point of view) of movies. For a very long time, the first place in the ranking was held by Disney’s Black Hole , years later it was dethroned by the pinnacle of another destruction enthusiast – Michael Bay’s Armageddon . My intuition tells me that Roland Emmerich has just provided an equally strong candidate. Moonfall is a mindless yet spectacular show – probably the most absurd science fiction you will ever watch. Which, considering the fierce competition in this category, is already an achievement in itself.
