Moonfall

Roland Emmerich has established himself in eighteen films as a director capable of marking our memories by directing impressive blockbusters. After having left his indelible mark on Hollywood cinema with films such as Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), Idependence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), The Patriot (2000) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), his latest films to date have not met with the same success and have even left us wanting more, such as Anonymous (2011) and Midway (2019). If there is a genre in which Roland Emmerich excels, it is the one of mass destruction on a large scale, like a child who would destroy his favorite toys with a real glee to show off. 

Having learned and retained from his difficult experience on Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Moonfall marks the reunion of director and screenwriter Roland Emmerich with the science fiction film worthy of the biggest blockbusters today. However, this film only has the appearance of its excessive side worthy of Hollywood when it is actually an independent film with the largest budget allocated to such a film and especially made away from Hollywood studios. Moonfall turns out to be a rather good surprise as it shows that Roland Emmerich has lost nothing of his talent to impress us and especially to conceive films based more on spectacular special effects than on brilliantly written and original films. Science fiction rhymes here not with belligerent aliens but rather with the origin of the human species and its place in the universe while severely pointing out the dangers of using new technologies without knowing how to master them.

While we could have expected a science fiction film that was much more focused on special effects than on the psychology of the characters, Moonfall shows that director Roland Emmerich has had to question himself after several films that were neither popular with the public nor with the critics, who pointed out the numerous script failures of more or less successful films. Thus in Moonfall, the earth must prepare to face its extinction if nobody can find a solution to face in a hostile universe an artificial intelligence whose goal is the eradication of all forms of life. So when a mysterious force pulls the Moon out of its orbit around the Earth and sends it hurtling towards a collision course with life as we know it, the world is on the verge of extinction. Just weeks before impact and with the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Halle Berry) is convinced she holds the key to saving us all - but only an astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson), and conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) believe her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-minute mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, to discover that our Moon is not what we think it is. 

One of the most recurrent reproaches made to Roland Emmerich's films is their lack of realism and a will to put too much in the view to mask the lack of psychological thickness of the main characters and a will to give to the spectators films very close to the universe of the video games. Certainly Moonfall is again a disaster movie but it has a trio of endearing main characters who seem to want to make up for their mistakes made in the past. Whether it is the cosmonaut Brian Harper feels responsible for the death of another cosmonaut following an accident in space that also caused him to be fired from NASA. K.C. Houseman is a very intelligent but unstable nerd who lacks self-confidence. Similarly, Jocinda Fowler, a former cosmonaut and NASA executive, is divorced and is having trouble rebuilding her life. This trio however will be the only solution to save the earth and will have to show a real courage to lead a dangerous mission.

Moonfall turns out to be a real cinematographic experience and seems to have been conceived with an undeniable will to offer to the spectators the same impression as being on a roller-coaster launched at full speed and with numerous jump covers. This impression is clearly visible if, like us, you discover this film in its 4DX version and not on a tiny screen in a cinema located within the distributor of this film. This idea is felt in particular during the numerous scenes in space magnified by impressive special effects and highlighted by the inspired direction of Roland Emmerich. The pleasure taken to discover this film is undeniable and we will forget some not very flattering reviews. Yet this film is not another pro-American ode to a country that will save the world again. The scenario openly criticizes the American military decisions and some big companies preferring to lay off excellent people rather than face the truth. 

Despite the fact that the means are less important than in other films from Hollywood studios, we can also appreciate in Moonfall a better emphasis on special effects and scenes of massive destruction at all costs. The money invested in the film is really visible on the screen and we can only advise you to discover this film in the cinema in excellent conditions. While some may find some of the ideas and concepts put forward in this film surprising, for our part, we will retain a real desire to entertain and to lead to reflection on the danger of artificial intelligence. This theme reminds us of James Cameron's Terminator universe, but here we find ourselves reflecting the dangers to which we are exposed and a future in which mankind risks being confronted with new and real dangers, such as the current pandemic that we are going through with Covid 19.

Moonfall
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Written by Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Spenser Cohen
Produced by Harald Kloser, Roland Emmerich
Starring Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Donald Sutherland
Cinematography : Robby Baumgartner
Music by Harald Kloser, Thomas Wander
Production companies: Centropolis Entertainment, Street Entertainment, Huayi Brothers, AGC Studios
Distributed by Lionsgate (United States), Metropolitan FilmExport (France)
Release date : February 4, 2022 (United States), February 9, 2022 (France)
Running time : 120 minutes

Seen on February 09, 2022 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 4DX seat I6

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