Unseen Physics Transgressions Exposed: Unraveling the Secrets of a Sci-Fi Blockbuster Disaster

Summary

Moonfall has garnered severe criticism from renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson due to its excessive violation of the laws of physics, surpassing any other film in terms of frequency. Tyson dismisses the film's plot, which portrays a hollow moon making its way towards Earth, as highly implausible.

Tyson proposes a simple solution to the problem of the oncoming asteroid in the movie - altering its trajectory or reducing its speed in space, taking advantage of the absence of friction.

The poor performance of Moonfall at the box office is due to a foolish storyline, unnecessary clichés, and a lack of chemistry among the cast, resulting in negative reviews and mixed reactions from the audience. It is highly unlikely for a sequel to be made.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a seasoned astrophysicist, strongly criticizes the lack of realism in Roland Emmerich's science fiction film Moonfall. Released in 2022, the disaster thriller follows Brian Harpert, a disgraced former astronaut, Jocinda Fowler, the head of NASA, and K.C. Houseman, a conspiracy theorist and semi-scientist, as they embark on a mission to the moon in an attempt to save the earth from imminent danger. Despite featuring notable actors like Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Donald Sutherland, Michael Peña, and Charlie Plummer, the film performed poorly at the box office, only grossing $67 million worldwide against a reported production budget of $138–146 million.

During a video interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, Neil deGrasse Tyson reveals that Moonfall breaks more laws of physics per minute than any other movie he has witnessed. The renowned astrophysicist particularly takes issue with the film's premise of a hollow moon approaching the earth, arguing that it presents exaggerated solutions for problems that could be easily resolved. The 64-year-old proposes that in space, where there is no friction, a slight nudge to the asteroid would have prevented it from directly colliding with the earth. Alternatively, they could have decelerated the asteroid so that it would pass behind the earth. See his complete comments below:

Okay, so yes. Moonfall surpassed any other movie ever made in terms of laws per minute, which I used to think was a record held by another film, but apparently not. Moonfall, a pandemic film starring Halle Berry, revolves around the moon nearing Earth. Surprisingly, it is discovered that the moon is hollow and harbors a moon made of rocks within it. Astonishingly, the Apollo missions were actually intended to nourish this lunar entity. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it. I thought "Armageddon" had a firm grip on this concept, but I stand corrected.

To divert an approaching asteroid, all you need to do is give it a slight nudge. By applying a gentle force of one centimeter per second to the right, and considering the absence of friction in space, the asteroid will continue drifting in that direction. If this adjustment is made early enough, the asteroid can pass in front of or behind Earth instead of colliding with it. Thus, there are two methods for altering its trajectory.

It's reminiscent of the idea presented in "The Terminator" where altering the past to ensure one's non-existence is the goal. Simply preventing your parents from meeting or delaying their intimate encounter by twenty minutes can lead to the formation of a different zygote, resulting in a distinct outcome. In movies, sometimes their solutions to problems become exaggerated and hyperbolic.

Why Was Moonfall A Box Office Disaster

After an initially promising start, Moonfall failed to maintain its momentum and dropped out of the box-office top ten by its third week. Despite earning $9.9 million in its opening weekend, the film experienced a significant decline in its second week, grossing only $2.9 million. By the third week, its decline worsened, leading to its availability on VOD platforms less than two months after its theatrical release. While the severe February 2022 North American winter storm, which forced the closure of over 300 Midwestern theaters, played a role in this outcome, Moonfall's failure was primarily attributed to its poor reception among both viewers and critics.

Critics and moviegoers alike have heavily criticized the movie for its incredibly silly plot, which they found to be ridiculous. In addition, the plot was filled with numerous unnecessary clichés and lacked chemistry between most of the cast members, leading to a virtually non-existent connection in some cases. According to RelishMix, a publisher, online reactions to Moonfall were mostly mixed to negative, with "awareness stats" falling below average.

Although director Emmerich had mentioned the possibility of filming two sequels for Moonfall prior to its release in February 2022, the negative reception from critics and the movie's failure at the box office make it highly unlikely that a follow-up will be made. Should a sequel happen, it is hoped that Emmerich would incorporate more realistic scientific elements into the story.

Source: The Jess Cagle Show