The Martian
Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is an astronaut on a mission on Mars. A heavy storm forces his fellow crewmembers to evacuate the planet. During the storm, he is struck by debris and separated from the group. His commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) makes the decision to leave without Watney who is presumed dead. After reviewing satellite photos, NASA realise that he has somehow managed to survive. The film then follows Watney's attempts to stay alive on a desolate planet and NASA's deliberations regarding if and how they should save him.
It's a charismatic performance from Damon and the film is at its most interesting when showing him alone on Mars. There are few passable gags that don't detract from the overall tone of the film with Donald Glover partially channelling his character in "Community" in his performance as a slobbish astrophysics genius who identifies an unlikely option to bring Watney home. Although I doubt in real life astrophysicists have a caption on their laptops informing them that their calculations are correct.
It's difficult not to mention too the horrendous miscasting of Sean Bean. Bean is convincing as a resident of Middle Earth, but not as a NASA executive and it took me out of pretty much every scene he was in.
I have precious little time to finish this blog in my allotted time today. So for the moment, I'll say that The Martian looked stunning, was well made and ticked most of the boxes you'd want from a blockbuster film. There is very little genuine peril in it though and it leads a little too smoothly to the ending you would expect. I enjoyed the ride while I was there, but am uncertain how long it will linger in the memory.
It's a charismatic performance from Damon and the film is at its most interesting when showing him alone on Mars. There are few passable gags that don't detract from the overall tone of the film with Donald Glover partially channelling his character in "Community" in his performance as a slobbish astrophysics genius who identifies an unlikely option to bring Watney home. Although I doubt in real life astrophysicists have a caption on their laptops informing them that their calculations are correct.
It's difficult not to mention too the horrendous miscasting of Sean Bean. Bean is convincing as a resident of Middle Earth, but not as a NASA executive and it took me out of pretty much every scene he was in.
I have precious little time to finish this blog in my allotted time today. So for the moment, I'll say that The Martian looked stunning, was well made and ticked most of the boxes you'd want from a blockbuster film. There is very little genuine peril in it though and it leads a little too smoothly to the ending you would expect. I enjoyed the ride while I was there, but am uncertain how long it will linger in the memory.
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