Brian Gilcrest is 37 and sells satellite systems to anyone who has money. And I do mean anyone. We start off in Afghanistan with Gilcrest explaining to a bunch of Afghani Tribesman how to operate their new satellite. When things don’t go well

While overseeing the project on the private side, he’s paired up with a strange Airforce Major named Lisa Ng

It’s here where we meet Tracy, his ex-wife and one of the many completely unnecessary subplots.

Crowe writes these tension filled “I don’t like you but I really do” scenes better than any writer out there. And watching this relationship evolve was the lone shining star in the script. Unfortunately the characters become causalities of the sprawling unfocused story. After awhile, they just get swallowed up.

Speaking of the military I should get a medal for summarizing this script. The above is a supremely simplified version of what I read. There are tons of characters and countries and motivations and storylines involved that I didn’t even touch upon. Partly because it would be too confusing and partly because I didn’t understand them. I applaud Crowe for exploring such a unique world. But ultimately this story doesn’t work on any level. It pains me to say this about one of my idols, but if I were Crowe, I would not make this film. It simply isn’t a good story

Crowe likes to shroud his projects in secrecy, though this draft has been floating around for a year now. There’s a chance this was a “vomit draft”, the first draft meant to “get everything out”, which would explain a lot in regards to what I read. But my sources tell me while there will be changes, all the main stuff will probably stay intact. Having said that, if I were a betting man, I’d say that production got pushed back because of script concerns. There are a lot of concerns here. A lot. And I can see producers getting all jumpy after reading this.

Brian Gilcrest, 37, is a military contractor for the US Army. He hasn’t done many things right in life. He’s married the wrong women, broke up with the only good one and most people don’t like him. His only friend is a military techie named Jeremy who lives in the caves of the Cheyenne Mountains who he’s only spoken with on the phone. Brian is an angry man, but he learns that this doesn’t bother him. He’s just relieved that he doesn’t have to pretend to be anything else. Unfortunately, this has also killed his career.

However, Gilcrest soon gets a shot at redemption thanks to escalating tensions between the United States and China. The military needs him to set up the launch of a private satellite at his old stomping grounds in Hawaii. There, Gilcrest gets a chance to meet up with “the one who got away”, Tracy, her kids and her new husband. He also meets the designated liasion officer for the mission, Major Lisa Ng. Together these two must secure the blessings of the native Hawaiian council and see that the launch happens on schedule. If only they weren’t haunted by visions of Hawaiian ghosts in green mists, mistaken for incarnations of the Hawaiian gods Lono and Pele, and prophesied to bring about the Arrival… whatever that is.