Film
Climate change on Earth has gone too far, so a sophisticated network of satellites is launched to control the weather around the globe. When things start to go awry, and weather on Earth becomes increasingly fierce and deadly, the systems creator, Jake Lawson (Gerard Butler – How to Train your Dragon 2) must solve this apocalyptic threat before a worldwide Geostorm.
Add to the list of characters Sarah Wilson (Abbie Cornish – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Robocop), President Andrew Palma (Andy Garcia – Passengers, Ghostbusters), and Leonard Dekkom (Ed Harris – Mother!, In Dubious Battle), and you have the makings of a story full of drama, and acting talent. But, alas, a poor script and some awkward dialogue sadly ruin the potential here.
Geostorm is a film that is great to while away a rainy afternoon, where on is not worried about character development, plot twists, or complex drama. It plays out in rather meandering, yet predictable way. There is the requisite family drama, the hint at mystery and intrigue, and a science fiction backdrop that propels the story forward. Yet, given the talents of the cast, one would have expected more. The same goes for a story that fails to deliver on the suspense and thrills that one would expect.
A film that is average, in every way, so it is likely best left to watch when eventually gracing the small, home screens, or in a bargain bin on sale.
Disc
Overall the disc is of a decent technical quality, with the main feature being a film for pure escapism.
Geostorm is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.
Video
Video is encoded at a high average bitrate, with no visible artefacts on screen. There is no visible colour bleed. Detail remains at a fair amount in the several darker scenes.
Viewers with the necessary hardware or software could scale up to a larger or higher resolution screen, should they wish.
Audio
Audio is encoded at a high average bitrate, and presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Dialogue is clear via the centre channel.
Much of the soundtrack weight is carried via the front channels, however there is use of the surround channels at times to expand the on-screen world, further drawing the viewer into the more action packed scenes.
Navigation
The disc menu is basic, and easy to follow. The main menu has a static background, with the main feature title, and accompanying background music. There are text links to play the main feature, a language sub-menu, and a like to a sub-menu which then lists the only bonus feature.
One wonders why the special features menu did not just play that one short video clip directly.
The languages sub-menu has a text list of audio languages, and subtitles, including English descriptive audio, and English sub-titles for the hearing impaired.
Bonus Features
Search for Answers – This is the only bonus feature on the disc, however it is more like a television spot promoting the film, rather than something more akin to a making of. While it might be of some interest, as there is a bit of insight to how the film came about, there really isn’t too much else. And the featurette is only a few minutes.
Packaging
Packaging is a basic plastic case, with poster on the front listing the main cast, and film title. The back has a brief synopsis, a few images taken from the film, a list of the bonus features, and the usual technical details. There are no package inserts, such as chapter titles, etc.
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