Geostorm review: Space between stars

It is all there, the broken family, extreme weather, spectacular natural disasters, maverick scientists, a hands-on President, a dog and a voiceover begging to be spoofed. It is only to be expected considering Geostorm is directed by Dean Devlin who produced all those gargantuan disaster movies in the Nineties with Roland Emmerich ( Independence Day, Godzilla ). Following poor test screenings, there were extensive reshoots executive produced by that other master of mayhem, Jerry Bruckheimer.

There are differences too. The villain of the piece is not nature per se, rather it is greedy, power hungry human beings and it is set slightly in the future when things are same but just a little different — the phones particularly. So it is 2019, which was when Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was set and the sequel, Blade Runner 2049 is set 30 years in the future and running in the screen next door. You can do a wee bit of time travel if you so feel like it.

In 2019, thanks to all the bad things we have done to the planet, there is all sorts of crazy weather happening. It is all set right by Dutch Boy, a system of climate controlling satellites, run by an international coalition. Dutch Boy’s architect is Jake Lawson, who has a bit of problem with authority. He is fired for not following protocol by his biddable brother, Max, who takes over as commander of the project.

Three years later the satellites start malfunctioning causing flash freezes around the world and Jake is called back to fix it. He uncovers a conspiracy at the highest level. After great balls of fire, waves of ice and two sets of countdowns Jake saves the world.

Gerard Butler is no Jeff Goldblum but flexes his muscles, smirks and runs about looking important as Jake. Jim Sturgess as little brother Max provides for the wet-eyed bromance. Abbie Cornish plays Max’s girlfriend Sarah who is a Secret Service agent and does more than running screaming from tidal waves. For that there were many bikini clad beauties in Rio. Ed Harris brings his usual brand of quiet steel to Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom. Andy García as President Andrew Palma while not Morgan Freeman or Harrison Ford puts on his serious face and tries not to look too hard for Inspector Clouseau.

The effects are brilliant and at under two hours Geostorm moves briskly. For once it is not New York and the White House that are ravaged by fire and tsunamis. Registan (Afghanistan), Hong Kong, Mumbai, Dubai and Rio bear the brunt of bad weather. And instead of the Labrador retriever Boomer in Independence Day , there is the cutest Indian street dog in Mumbai who also survives all the hideous storms wagging his tail cheerfully at the end as he is reunited with his human. Just for that Geostorm deserves a thumbs up.