Finally caught "The Martian" last night. Basically what we have is a retread of the Tom Hanks film "Cast Away" except set on an entirely different planet. Now if you're the sort who liked "Cast Away" (and I'm a big fan of that film), then you'll likely enjoy "The Martian" as well........which I did.
THE GOOD
There were some terrific visuals throughout the film, whether it be of space or of the martian landscape, things that really looked beautiful and added emphasis to the loneliness and isolation Watney must have felt for those months. Damon gave a good performance in the main role, as did Chiwetel Ejiofor. Everyone else from Jessica Chastain to Jeff Daniels to Kate Mara to Sean Bean did a fine job - nothing too outstandingly great, just good. I particularly liked the plausibility factor to the science included in the plot, and the various methods and ways Watney used to keep himself alive and stretch out his food supply. I liked the way the writing kept flirting with making a certain character out to be a rather typical, cliche bad guy.....without actually pushing them over that line. Also, the moments of humor scattered throughout the film were moments that worked and seemed fitting with the situation, not something stupid and forced for the sake of adding a little levity.
THE NOT SO GOOD (YET NOT AWFUL)
What in the world was Kristen Wiig doing in this film? She had really no purpose at all except to stand around and look concerned. Kind of a wasted role for such a talented (funny) woman. Also, at 2 hrs 22 minutes, the film could easily have trimmed about 15 minutes and still have been just as enjoyable. It did have a feel of being a bit excessively longer than it needed to. As a person who doesn't use profanity (always raised to believe it was improper and immature), they didn't need the two f-bombs (and the multiple mouthed, but clearly understood f-bombs) in order to emphasize Watney's being upset. Not everyone uses that kind of language, and other less profane words could have done just as well. And as a minor critique, some of the blast-off visuals did look very CGI and it distracted just a touch. But all-in-all, the negatives here are very minor.
* All things considered, I would definitely recommend people go and see "The Martian". A well-made, well-acted film that lifts the spirits rather than leaves you depressed.
THE GOOD
There were some terrific visuals throughout the film, whether it be of space or of the martian landscape, things that really looked beautiful and added emphasis to the loneliness and isolation Watney must have felt for those months. Damon gave a good performance in the main role, as did Chiwetel Ejiofor. Everyone else from Jessica Chastain to Jeff Daniels to Kate Mara to Sean Bean did a fine job - nothing too outstandingly great, just good. I particularly liked the plausibility factor to the science included in the plot, and the various methods and ways Watney used to keep himself alive and stretch out his food supply. I liked the way the writing kept flirting with making a certain character out to be a rather typical, cliche bad guy.....without actually pushing them over that line. Also, the moments of humor scattered throughout the film were moments that worked and seemed fitting with the situation, not something stupid and forced for the sake of adding a little levity.
THE NOT SO GOOD (YET NOT AWFUL)
What in the world was Kristen Wiig doing in this film? She had really no purpose at all except to stand around and look concerned. Kind of a wasted role for such a talented (funny) woman. Also, at 2 hrs 22 minutes, the film could easily have trimmed about 15 minutes and still have been just as enjoyable. It did have a feel of being a bit excessively longer than it needed to. As a person who doesn't use profanity (always raised to believe it was improper and immature), they didn't need the two f-bombs (and the multiple mouthed, but clearly understood f-bombs) in order to emphasize Watney's being upset. Not everyone uses that kind of language, and other less profane words could have done just as well. And as a minor critique, some of the blast-off visuals did look very CGI and it distracted just a touch. But all-in-all, the negatives here are very minor.
* All things considered, I would definitely recommend people go and see "The Martian". A well-made, well-acted film that lifts the spirits rather than leaves you depressed.
