Today’s quick review: Geostorm. Years ago, Jake Lawson (Gerard Butler) led the construction of a satellite network that brought the Earth’s erratic climate under control. Now his brother Max (Jim Sturgess), the new head of the program, calls Jake back in to investigate a series of malfunctions that are causing weather disasters across the Earth, leading to a chain reaction that could engulf the entire globe in a giant storm.
Geostorm is a sci-fi disaster thriller about a weather control system gone haywire. While Jake searches for the technical cause of the error aboard the International Space Station, his brother Max unravels a political conspiracy within the White House. Geostorm has potential as a disaster movie with a heavier emphasis on science fiction and a stronger element of mystery. However, a handful of different issues hold it back.
Geostorm never makes any major mistakes, but the small ones add up quickly. The plot requires a more elaborate setup than other disaster movies, slowing down the action and stretching the suspension of disbelief. The logic of the plot has holes that only grow larger as the movie progresses. As for the characters, Jake and Max are emotionally inert, going through the motions of a catastrophe without being affected by it.
For all of its faults, Geostorm makes for a decent popcorn watch. The action is slow to start but escalates well, with a nice mixture of car chases, weather disasters, and technological malfunctions in space. The plot holes are more noticeable than in other movies but are not outside the bounds of the genre. And while the story is not groundbreaking, it has enough going on to be an interesting watch.
Geostorm is a fine pick for viewers with low expectations. Its flaws place it below the best the disaster genre has to offer, but it gets enough of the formula right to entertain, and it has a fair amount of spectacle. Just steer clear if you are hoping for a clever mystery, an emotional story, or thoughtful science fiction.
For another disaster movie about a climate catastrophe, try The Day After Tomorrow. For a more down-to-Earth Gerard Butler disaster movie, try Greenland. For a disaster movie with even looser science and wilder speculation, try Moonfall. For a dark satire with similar ecological themes, try Snowpiercer. For a diaster movie set in space with a lot more heart, try Armageddon.
[5.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1981128/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for an adequate setup, weak plot logic, and some execution issues.