You know, I was feeling kinda down recently, a bit low, unsure why really, getting old doesn't help. So what way to make myself feel a bit better? Watch a movie about the destruction of the Earth! Realising that actually, things aren't that bad and could be worse. Just need to win that damn lotto!
So, there was a time when Roland Emmerich was a top Hollywood director churning out sure-fire sci-fi hits. After numerous solid adventures into the unknown realms of science fiction, Emmerich took a turn into the disaster genre. The difference with this disaster flick is that it would feature the literal end of the world, incorporating all natural disasters such as quakes, tidal waves, fires, volcanoes etc...
The plot is pretty straightforward. Without delving deep into actual science, unprecedented massive solar flares are slowly heating up the Earth's core which in turn is causing massive unprecedented shifts in the Earth's crust. All this of course leads to massive unprecedented natural disasters which culminate in a massive unprecedented tidal wave, or tsunami as the cool kids like to say these days. Cue lots and lots of different ways to watch boatloads of people get killed. I guess its not really 'enjoyment', but more of morbid curiosity.
Obviously, like ALL the other disaster flicks you've seen, there are numerous characters which we, the audience, follow as the world collapses around them. Every cliche and trope is here, present and correct, as you might expect. Yet despite the unoriginality of it all, I can't deny, like any other disaster movie, there are times when the emotion does get you. You know its coming, you can see it a mile away, but damn it, the movie still manages to choke you up at times. Damn my Human fragility.
The disaster porn on show here is right up there with the best I can't deny. The special effects still hold up pretty well in parts, the CGI does what it needs to do well. Almost every incident is quite an eye-opener and grabs you in the feels. The start of the action is a bit dodgy but things definitely get better. Obviously there are problems, lots of problems, some dumb, some defying reality and science. Initially as LA starts to rip apart and our main characters are trying to escape, they do so by literally outdriving the destruction. It's almost like watching an in-game videogame sequence, like 'Crazy Taxi' or something, dodging all the devastation. Things rapidly get more and more unbelievable in this sequence and you are forced to suspend your disbelief.
There are many many moments in this movie where the core characters escape the seemingly inescapable, deus ex machina moments for sure. On the flip side there are the usual dumb people who simply seem to give up or not care about living, and just remain in place allowing themselves to get obliterated. The President of the United States (a stoic Danny Glover) choosing to stay with his people at the White House is one such example. Woody Harrelson's crazy conspiracy theory character choosing to stay and watch Yellowstone erupt is another. Luckily there are no dog (or other animal) scenarios to worry about. Because God damn, we all lose the plot if an animal is in peril.
The funny thing is, in this movie Oliver Platt portrays the stern, no nonsense, White House Chief of Staff. Now this guy is essentially following the science and simply wants to get everyone to the ark (yes that kind of ark) and secure it ready for the final mega-tsunami. Of course this line of thinking is about hard choices, survival of the Human race. But naturally, for cinematic purposes, various other characters are against this and have a more sensitive moral outlook, because they are the 'good guys' which we, the audience, should support. But in reality, it's Platt's Chief of Staff whom I found myself supporting, because he made more sense. He wasn't prepared to risk the vital few for the many which could have resulted in no one surviving (obviously it all works out in the end, because movie!).
This is a typical Hollywood liberal view on things like this. A view that always works out in the movies but in reality would be extremely dangerous. Is it me or did Oliver Platt also look a lot like Democrat Chicago Govenor JB Pritzker?
Is it also just me but did those arks look really really solid, and it seemed like them hitting the rocks/mountains wouldn't have caused THAT much damage? They were literally thick armour-plated floating skyscrapers. I just don't think bumping into the mountains would have done too much. Anyway, this is an enjoyable movie for sure, it does exactly what it says on the tin, and exactly what you'd come to expect. It delivers on everything, bottom line. Yes it's stupid in places, but it's an action thriller movie for Pete's sake, it's not supposed to be exact science.
6/10
