“It was cool seeing a disaster movie for the very first time and I was in it,” comes the earnest response from Hollywood’s breakthrough indie star, Jim Sturgess.
Earning his credentials with tear-jerkers such as Across the Universe, The Way Back and One Day, Sturgess’ entry into the big league couldn’t be more far removed.
The movie in question is Geostorm, the season’s latest CGI thrill-ride that rains on our parade with a doomsday scenario, blowing in tornadoes, freak snowstorms and a thunderous Tsunami that all but annihilates Dubai’s glittering skyline.
Stopping short of hurling Burj Khalifa into a watery grave, Geostorm’s larger-than-life special effects also paint a stark reality of the delicate nature of this planet that is waging its own battle to stay afloat following the drastic effects of climate change.
In the premise of this film, Earth’s inevitable future forces mankind to manually control global weather patterns with the help of a little thing called geo-engineering, and a whole lot of leeway given to Geostorm’s writers, Dean Devlin (who has also directed the movie) and Paul Guyot.
Sturgess says he took on his new project as a learning experience. “It is always very exciting when a big piece of entertainment like this can have a strong and deeper message that will run underneath it. It can reach so many people and connect with their consciousness.”
He continues: “Because of the nature of the film, I was forced into searching more than I had done in the past and looking into geo-engineering as a science. It was a really interesting concept … humans controlling the weather. Climate conditions getting so extreme that humans have to advance their technologies in the form of geo-engineering, which is a real thing.”
BRACING FOR BACKLASH
As the film hosted its red-carpet premiere last week, critics questioned the poor timing of releasing Geostorm in the US, mere weeks after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria that left several dead and many others homeless.
Quiz Sturgess about this and he says the film is really a wake-up call for everyone, explaining: “I hope it leaves people thinking about climate change, like what are we really doing to the planet. And what kind of effects will it have in the future.
“In the film, which is obviously a piece of fictional entertainment, the effects are hugely devastating and extreme. If people came away from a giant piece of entertainment like this with a consciousness, then our job is done.”
Sturgess further reveals the film was largely shot in New Orleans, which faced its own devastation in 2005 in the form of Hurricane Katrina. The actor doesn’t deny the implications of filming there, saying: “I mean yeah, it was never far from our thoughts really. Obviously, all the crew were from New Orleans, we became very close to a lot of the people we were working with.
“It was very present in people’s lives and mine still. It was a constant reminder of the devastating effect a storm can have on people.”
WORKING WITH GERARD
Although Sturgess claims to be a novice at saving the world, the actor admits he was in capable hands with Gerard Butler by his side, playing big brother Jake Lawson to the younger actor’s Max.
“When I read the script, I was really impressed. Amongst the grandness of the film, the big explosions, the special effects sequences, there really is a human story, especially between the two brothers who put aside their family differences to save the world.
“On sets, Gerard behaved like the big brother he plays in the film, totally irresponsible and I became the responsible one by default.”
For Sturgess, the novelty value of starring in a big-budget action film was at the forefront throughout the shoot. He says: “It was a lot of fun, running around. Getting the opportunity to save the world with Gerard Butler was quite a fun experience.”
Butler is a veteran at saving the world surely? The younger actor laughs, saying: “Well, I am not. It was my first time saving the world. I felt in safe hands.”
However, fans who fear that Sturgess would be stepping away from his staple Indie fare need not be worried. The actor says: “I make a lot of independent films because I am very passionate about it. Yes, it was really exciting that Warner Bros asked me to join something of a bigger scale and it was amazing to go on sets and see the sets they have built, work with Ed Harris and Andy Garcia.
“Them being the film gave some weight to it and made me comfortable to step away from the usual kind of filmmaking I am used to. But moving away from Indie fare? Not at all. I’m actually doing a big TV show back in the UK, which is on the independent gritty scale again.
“Just once in a while, it is nice to come Los Angeles and see a poster of one of your films. That doesn’t always happen.”
___
Don’t miss it
Geostorm releases in the UAE on October 19.
[QUOTE UNQUOTE]
Despite Dubai grabbing a starring role in Geostorm, Sturgess admits he’s only been to the emirate once in his life. “The one and only time I have ever been to Dubai was for the movie The Way Back, which played at the Dubai International Film Festival. This time around, there are a lot of weather disasters happening in the movie and we decided to blow the storm over to Dubai.”
[DID YOU KNOW?]
Aside from acting, Jim Sturgess is also a trained musician. He talks about his music, saying: “I’ve been working on a lot of music actually. I am always chipping away at something. I have a little studio at home and I am always off writing and recording with friends of mine. The minute I have some time to myself and I am always playing music. It keeps me sane. Or insane. Depends on how you look at it.”
According to the producers, the filmmaking crew shot in Dubai on location for five days.
Residents will be able to recognise a few of their everyday local landmarks such as the Dubai Marina, Burj Al Arab beach, the Shaikh Zayed Road skyline, Downtown Dubai and, of course, Burj Khalifa.
BURJ KHALIFA IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS
Arguably, one of the most striking scenes in Geostorm is the pivotal moment when a Tsunami thunders across Dubai’s glittering skyline, edging towards the Burj Khalifa.
This is, of course, not the first time that the world’s tallest building has grabbed a starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. tabloid! hits rewind to look back at some of the momentous moments that saw the UAE landmark grab the starry spotlight:
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Who can forget that moment when Tom Cruise flung himself out of a window and sprinted across the glistening facade of the Burj Khalifa? The scene would go on to define Cruise’s on-screen dare-devilry that no other film has matched until date.
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
In 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, Dubai stood in as Starbase Yorktown and was attacked by the forces of the lizard-like dictator Krall. While Burj Khalifa didn’t command the starring role, it did make a blink-and-miss appearance.
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Extraterrestrials had a go at the world’s tallest building and somehow managed to it up and slam it head first it into London.
