After a dry spell in theaters, the next blockbuster movie emerges from the shadows and makes for a interesting film for audience viewers. A high-action sci-fi film is something I usually watch after it's out of the theatre, but I was impatiently waiting to get back to the movie theatre atmosphere. This new film titled “Moonfall,“ was off to a great start, but began to disappoint me in the second half.
Synopsis
The Earth stands to be totally annihilated when the moon is knocked from its orbit by a mysterious force. With little time before impact to Earth, will an unlikely group be able to stop it? The film stars Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and John Bradley; it was directed by Roland Emmerich. Jo Fowler, played by Berry, is convinced she has the key to saving Earth but only a scientist from her past Brian Harper, played by Wilson, believes her. The unlikely group mounts a last ditch effort to space, only to find out the mission isn’t what they were expecting.
What I loved
The cinematography and set design of this movie were stellar. I truly do not know how they made the movie look so great. It looks like images straight from NASA’s telescopes in 3D and motion on the screen. The angles were beautiful and fluid, which made for a gorgeous setting.
The characters had a good amount of depth and were portrayed well too. Something I always love to see is when you bring a human aspect to a character, and this movie did a great job at that, which made it seem relatable. I think everyone gave great performances; some were emotional at times and sometimes they were humorous, but overall the acting was really well done.
This movie kept me interested and on the edge of my seat the entire time. I wanted to keep watching and I didn't find my mind wandering or waiting for the movie to be done. Even at the end, when the plot hadn’t been solved yet, I kept wondering what was going to happen.
What I didn't love
The last half of the movie, plain and simple, was the worst part of the film. I was in awe of the first half and loved it, and then the last 30-40 mins had me utterly confused. Somehow it went from Apollo-11 to the new Star Wars real quick. The jump was fast and felt very detached from the rest of the film. There were some good parts at the end, but it jumped between good and confusing, and unfortunately confusing was the winner.
I don't want to spoil the entire movie, but let me just say the overarching theme at the end lacked feeling. It felt like they needed to put this ending in to basically explain everything we’ve been watching, but it just felt so out of place. I don't know how they could’ve fixed it, but I know a weird sci-fi information dump was not the best course of action.
Verdict
The last half of the film really brings the overall score down for me. I enjoyed the first half tremendously, then the end just let me down entirely. I wish they would have kept the first half the same and done something else entirely with the ending because it just lost me, when I feel that the end should be one of the best parts.
I give Moonfall 3.5 out of 5
