Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Putting a Good Face on Disaster

Anyone who has read my Blu-ray review of Geostorm can easily imagine how reluctantly I sat down to watch it a second time for a 3D review. With fear and loathing, I slipped on my 3D glasses, resolving to skip through a few select highlights and escape as quickly as possible.

I ended up watching the whole movie again. While its flaws are only magnified on repeat viewings (and they were glaring to begin with), the 3D experience has the intriguing effect of pushing Geostorm's inanities to one side by enhancing the spectacle—and what is Geostorm if not spectacle? In the film's 3D iteration, even the leaden exposition becomes secondary, as one's eyes roam around the scene, admiring the illusion of depth and the choice of foreground elements that have been popped out of the frame to enhance the perception of three dimensions. If the rest of the film had been made with the same inventiveness as its 3D conversion, Geostorm might actually be good.

As with all of Warner's recent 3D discs, Geostorm may not be easy to find, especially in the U.S. (The format remains more popular internationally, as evidenced by Amazon.uk's listing.) The likeliest bet is either WBShop, which currently lists Geostorm 3D, or Best Buy, which intermittently stocks Warner's 3D releases. As a last resort, one can monitor the going rate from marketplace sellers on Amazon, where prices change daily and sometimes soar above list. For fans of the format, the search is worth it, as long as you understand what kind of movie you're getting.

Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Note: Screen captures accompanying this review have been taken from the standard Blu-ray.)

Geostorm's 1080p, MVC-encoded presentation on 3D Blu-ray may be a product of post-conversion, but the CG artisans have approached their task with wit and imagination. Their choice of foreground elements to pop out of the frame provides additional visual interest even in purely live-action shots. Note, for example, how the automobile engine suspended in mid-air outside Jake Lawson's farmhouse grabs your eye in the scene where his brother Max comes begging him to return and fix the Dutch Boy weather system; the machine almost upstages the actors. Similar examples abound throughout the film, and things get even more lively with the addition of CG elements. When U.N. troops first enter the Afghan village that's been frozen from space, they're surrounded by gently falling snowflakes that might pass unnoticed in the 2D version but become stars of the scene in 3D.

The scenes in space are distinct beneficiaries of the 3D process. The space station and satellite array gain additional heft and credibility, as do the space shuttles that ferry technicians and scientists back and forth. (By contrast, the CG extensions of the Kennedy Space Center, with its vistas of numerous shuttle craft and launching pads, don't fare as well; they looked artificial in 2D and look even more so here.) A major beneficiary of 3D treatment is the sequence where Jake's jet pack "malfunctions", sending him careening across the vast outer expanses of the space station and through its field of sensors and antenna arrays. The scene's action is more clearly presented and easier to follow, and thus more effective, in three dimensions.

Translation to 3D also enhances many of the disaster scenes on Earth. Notable examples include the flames that erupt from the streets of Hong Kong, the massive hailstones that bombard Tokyo, the tidal waves that swamp Dubai and the explosive lightning bolts that hit Florida. A tumbling construction crane in the last of these is particularly impressive.

Roberto Schaefer's (Waiting for Guffman and Quantum of Solace) digital cinematography remains smoothly detailed, and the image is free of cross-talk or other interference. The film's generally cool palette remains unchanged, but at least some of the credit for that belongs to my ISF calibrator, who had the foresight to create separate settings to compensate for changes in color and brightness created by Sony's 3D glasses. It's a procedure I highly recommend for anyone having their display calibrated, either professionally or with any of the available test discs.

Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Geostorm's 3D presentation features the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that has been previously reviewed.

Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 3D disc contains no extras. The included standard Blu-ray provides the same extras listed here.

Geostorm 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Geostorm is meant to be a thrill ride, and its 3D treatment significantly enhances whatever thrills the film has to offer. It gives you more interesting images to hold your attention while the mindless plot unfolds and the wooden characters shuffle through their paces. I still don't recommend the film, but if you're going to watch it and your home theater includes the requisite hardware, the 3D presentation is the most appealing option.