Geostorm (2017) - Standing your ground and protecting your integrity - 8/10 (29/11/17)

Going into this movie, I didn't expect anything. I went to a movie night at my local cinema on a Tuesday night and simply needed to find a second film to complete my double feature. It turns out that I got much more than I would have expected from this film.

The story is quite diversified and family drama, conspiracy thriller and science-fiction blockbuster all at once. The difficult relationship between the main character and his brother as well as his daughter was touching and realistic. The conspiracy included two major twists that I didn't see coming. The movie makes you believe that certain characters could be behind the conspiracy before the story takes a few clever turns. The movie obviously features a lot of vivid special effects. Usually I'm not a fan of artificially flavored CGI stylistics but they actually looked impressive on screen at my movie theatre and they were also quite diversified. Exploding gas lines, gigantic hail and tidal waves are only some of the impressive meteorological elements you will see.

The film wasn't boring at any point and doesn't deserve the harsh critics it gets. It's one of the best catastrophe movies in recent memory, probably the greatest of its kind since the South Korean blockbuster Tidal Wave a whopping eight years ago.

An honorable mention goes out to the opening sequence where the rough but sympathetic main character played by Gerard Butler delivers a passionate speech pointing out his team's accomplishments in front of an arrogant judge and an assimilated group of followers in form of a jury. They try to bring him down but the main character stands his ground despite risking his career. Standing up for your ideals no matter what isn't always easy and could put you into a lot of trouble but you won't wake up in the morning and feel like vomiting when you see your own face in the mirror. Integrity is worth more than any money in the world. This opening sequence perfectly represents what the rest of the movie is all about. This excellent opening sequence really struck a chord with me.

In the end, ignore the negative comments and get entertained by a vivid movie mixing family drama, conspiracy thriller and science- fiction blockbuster with charismatic characters in a visually stunning way. Make sure to watch this film at a movie theater to appreciate its bombastic sound and visual effects. Geostorm truly is a pleasant surprise.