DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

DIRECTOR ROLAND EMMERICH TAKES ANOTHER STAB AT DESTROING THE PLANET IN MOONFALL. HIS LATEST DISASTER MOVIE

- BRYAN CAIRNS

Roland Emmerich has decimated the Earth over and over. The master of disaster obliterated major cities in Independence Day, turned the planet into a frozen wasteland in The Day After Tomorrow, and ravaged the globe with seismic catastrophes in 2012. Now he’s back with Moonfall, his latest doomsday outing, that puts the Moon on a direct collision course with Earth.

“From Independence Day to The Day After Tomorrow to 2012, they are all different from each other,” Emmerich tells SFX. “Moonfall is also quite different because it’s 60-70% a space movie. It’s the race to stop the moon from crashing. In that regard, they are all unique… At least in my book.

“Moonfall is a very simple concept,” he continues. “The Moon is falling on the Earth, but it’s not what we think it is. That’s the premise. What you actually learn is the Moon is like a constructed object. They have to fly inside the Moon to solve the problem.

“Because it’s two very big objects nearly touching, two planets, it was very different from what I normally do,” Emmerich adds. “The Moon, since it’s the smaller object, would typically break apart, but then it doesn’t because it’s a built object. When it comes very close, it has all kinds of effects on Earth.”

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