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Blu-Ray : For Fans Only
Ranking:
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Release Date: January 23rd, 2018 Movie Release Year: 2017

Geostorm

Overview -

After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world's leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong—the system built to protect the Earth is attacking it, and it's a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything...and everyone along with it.

OVERALL:
For Fans Only
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p MPEG-4 AVC
Length:
109
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Special Features:
An International Event: A global cast opens up about the secrets behind Geostorm.
Release Date:
January 23rd, 2018

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Natural disaster films will always have a special place in my heart. Most of the time, they are over-the-top, ridiculous, and never make a lick of sense. Still,  it's fun to watch cities fall due to an alien invasion, a giant lizard or, in the case of Geostorm, extreme weather. No matter what the premise, these films usually have the same intentions and plot structure, which usually involves one hero guy to save the day, millions of casualties, hilarious one-liners, and enough insane plot tangents that would cause you to have a headache.

If you're going into these types of movies, you'll have to go in with certain expectations., and you have to suspend all belief in science, realism, and plausible actions. If you do this, you're gonna have a good time with what's on screen. Geostorm is no different. Behind the wheel on this vehicle is Dean Devlin, who is no stranger to the disaster film genre. Devlin has written and or produced Independence Day, 1998's Godzilla, and Eight Legged Freaks to name a few.

Geostorm marks Devlin's directorial debut, and he pulls no stops, but falls short of anything worthwhile, despite the over-the-top catastrophe portrayed. In the near future, the world has come together and developed a satellite system that prevents storms from growing into cataclysmic weather events (by firing missiles into them!).

Gerard Butler is the brains behind the operation, but, for some reason, he's difficult to work with and gets fired. Gerard's younger brother (Jim Sturgess) replaces him and, for the next few years, the satellite system works perfectly. And then one day, people and cities begin dying by way of car-sized hail, fire tornadoes, and even an ice storm in the desert that instantly freezes people to death. Turns out, a mystery person has injected a virus into the satellite system to cause these problems. It's now only up to Gerard Butler to travel to space and even kidnap the president of the United States, played by Andy Garcia, to fix this problem. Mix in some henchmen, far-fetched theories, and Ed Harris, and you have a natural disaster picture that is highly entertaining and equally hilarious.

None of it makes sense at all. You'd think Dean Devlin would know how to make solid disaster movie with well-rounded characters or even frame a bit of action well, but that's not the case. The visual effects aren't that good and the action beats and disaster porn never really put you in the action. In fact, all of this you've seen before in past Marvel films or other disaster flicks. That being said, if you're a fan of ridiculous films like SharknadoGeostorm might just be for you.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Geostorm comes with a 50GB Blu-ray Disc and a DVD copy from Warner Bros. There is an insert for the digital download code too. The discs are housed in a hard, blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. Trailers play before the main menu.

Video Review

Ranking:

Geostorm features a 1080p HD transfer presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Shot digitally, the film has a great looking image with sharp detail and bold colors in most scenes. The film is steeped in CGI work from the big city skyscrapers crumbling down to the fire tornadoes that ravage them. As far as detail is concerned, the space station and its satellites look incredible, but when it comes to the extreme weather and buildings collapsing, I've seen better. Those CGI tornadoes and tsunamis look soft without the natural elements coming through, which is unfortunate.

Details on the actor's faces look better though, with individual hairs, scars, and wrinkles coming through nicely. Colors are bright and fluid throughout as well. The fiery oranges and reds light up the screen as well as the blue oceans and greenish waters scoop up the landscapes. Black levels are deep and inky and the skin tones are natural in all lighting conditions. There are no major instances of any banding or aliasing either, leaving this video presentation with solid marks.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and comes with the usual bangs, thuds, and thunder you'd expect with this type of disaster flick. That being said, it's all about the loudness of the soundscape and not about keeping things quiet or dynamic in the softer sounding moments. Every large piece of hail and falling debris sounds big and explosive with thunder and rain bringing great surround sound activity.

The moments in outer space sound quite good as well, but in quieter settings, things are still rather loud with little-to-no ambient noises in the background to provide the necessary sound experience. The score always adds to the action beats nicely while keeping tensions high, and the dialogue is always crisp and clear, with zero pops, cracks, and hiss to speak of.

Special Features

Ranking:

Wreaking Havoc (HD. 7 Mins.) - This cool supplement discusses which major effects were done with  CGI and which ones were done practically. 

The Search for Answers (HD, 4 Mins.) - A weird extra in which Dean Devlin and his daughter talk about the origins and root of the story.

An International Cast (HD, 6 Mins.) - This discusses the casting of the film, specifically all of the international talent they hired here in hopes of a bigger box office overseas.

Final Thoughts

There is some fun to be had with Geostorm, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. (Popcorn and booze help.) None of the characters or plot devices really make any sense and every piece of dialogue and action is beyond ridiculous and over-the-top. Still, it's a lot of fun and could entertain the right audience. The video looks good, even with the average CGI work and the audio is very loud throughout. The supplements don't add a ton of insight, but there really doesn't need to be here. For Fans Only!