Just got back from seeing THE MARTIAN...
Nov. 13th, 2015 11:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithian...and it was wonderful! I loved it!
Carol: This one I was already intrigued by from what I heard about it, and the trailer looks amazing. Rooney Mara is fantastic, Cate Blanchett is fantastic...it's going to be wonderful, I just know it.
Spotlight: Very disturbing subject matter. It looks interesting, but very disturbing.
Secrets In Their Eyes: This really intrigued me. I might have to see the film sometime to see how it turns out.
The Big Short: The only really funny trailer we got here. Also interested in seeing how this turns out.
Joy: Jennifer Lawrence just looks like she's going to be awesome in this.
The Revenant: Looks intriguing, though I will admit the part where the father in the trailer was all but buried alive really got me shivering. Don't know if I want to see this one -- it seems pretty unsettling.
Movie experience:
Went with a friend of mine. Said friend also bonded with my parents, which was nice -- only downside was a falling out later with my parents about school and such. Let's say that I can't wait for the holidays where I'm not under as much stress.
The movie itself:
I admit there were parts that were hard to watch, such as the main character, Watney, getting speared and having to treat the wound -- if you're squeamish about that stuff, you'll probably have to cover your eyes, as well as the matter of Watney's crops getting destroyed (well-done scene, really fucking hard to watch), but the funny thing about a stranded-on-another-planet movie is that it actually does have some quite funny moments, such as Watney discovering the commander's disco collection, one character's messy room where he actually trips over his stuff * (and the same character, later on, making flying noises just near the NASA leader during his presentation of a plan on how to get back to Earth), the repartee between the crew (I really liked that in the beginning prior to that storm sending things to hell; the cast really had wonderful chemistry that made you believe that they really were a close crew), Watney's logs (including calling himself a space pirate -- It Makes Sense In Context -- and dipping a potato in crushed Vicodin after he ran out of ketchup), and that one Lord of the Rings reference in the movie where the same character who did the flight noises near the NASA president calls his project "Project Elrond" (bonus points for Sean Bean actually being in that scene and helping explain the reference). There's plenty more, because the humor in this is very clever, but those are just a few of my favorites.
The acting was also excellent. I already loved Chiwetel Ejiofor when I saw him in Serenity (where he really helped the Operative not seem like a one-dimensional madman out to get River, but as someone who genuinely believes he's doing what's right while acknowledging how horrific what he's doing is), so it was a pleasure seeing him back (where he plays a good guy, and really instills that part with a lot of grace and dignity as well as heart, because this guy is going to do whatever it takes to make sure the main gets home alive and in one piece). And Matt Damon plays Watney -- I actually remember first seeing him in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Dogma (where he and Ben Affleck did great in their roles as fallen angels, and sympathetic ones to boot), and he did just as excellent a job here. He really gave Watney a lot of resilience and wit and warmth that really made you give a shit about him and him surviving. I've always believed that one crucial component to make a story succeed is likable or at least compelling characters and The Martian really succeeds in that regard. Jessica Chastain (and this is the first movie I've seen her in) plays Commander Lewis and she really gives this character a lot of grit, dignity and bravery that makes her another one of my personal favorites. Sean Bean's also in this, and I already love the guy ( Lord of the Rings , National Treasure , etc.) so it was a real pleasure to see him again as well, and he gave his character, Mitch, a very warm, sort of Dr. McCoy-ish streak -- this guy's willing to do anything also to get Watney off Mars. And there were some turns that actually surprised me; Jeff Daniels as the NASA president (I mostly remember him from Dumb and Dumber so him playing a very serious character and doing a very convincing job at conveying the seriousness of being the NASA president...well done, Mr. Daniels), Kristen Wiig (who I remember from Despicable Me 2) playing a NASA worker...it was definitely very much Playing Against Type here, and it worked amazingly. And on a non-Playing-Against-Type note, Kate Mara -- she was awesome as well. A lot of grit, dignity and bravery to this character.
The characters themselves were also awesome. There was Watney, who was incredibly resourceful, resilient (because he never really let things get to him, he never gave up), innovative, funny (even joking about his predicament), caring deeply about his parents (one really touching scene was him saying that if he didn't get back, he wanted people to tell his parents what happened. Very movingly done, and very realistic), having a good relationship with his crewmates (one scene is Martinez, one of the crew, making some snarky comments and the rest of the crew, including the stranded Watney, grinning), and generally awesome. There was also the crew themselves, who were very endearing and willing to do anything to get their stranded crewmember back (even risking a possible court-martial -- granted, that was only mentioned and never happened, but goddamn, that's loyalty right there), and once they do, there's pretty much hugs and cheers and joking about disco all-around. It's a really lovely bit about how strong friendship can be, especially since this time, Commander Lewis gets to save him. I also liked the little interactions among the crew, such as one character talking about his son's third birthday party -- they're little details, but they really do help the crew feel like a crew. There's also the NASA workers, who are doing whatever they can to help the main character get off Mars -- the president, who's portrayed as a well-meaning but kind of frustrated in his efforts man, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sean Bean's characters, who are mostly there to tell him to just do what's right. Plus Donald Glover's character, who's very much a genius and quirky and funny, and the Chinese characters, who really do lend a hand after one attempt to rescue the main character goes to hell. And the general sense of optimism that pervades the film -- Watney's humor and resilience, and everyone at NASA and in the main character's crew doing everything to make sure their astronaut and crewmember gets out okay. And the fact that people around the world are eager to find out if he'll be all right, especially since at the beginning of the film, he was presumed dead after the mission went wrong. There's quite a bit of cynicism underlying some movies nowadays, and I think it's good to keep in mind that sometimes, the good really does win. (Plus the bit near the end, where Watney finds a plant on Earth, a bit of a callback to where he "colonized" Mars by planting potatoes to survive. It was a nice touch)
I also really liked the bits of soundtrack that played throughout the movie, bits of old pop songs, including one use of "I Will Survive" in the end credits, which was a clever touch. Honestly, the movie was, plain and simply, fantastic. If this gets snubbed come Oscar season, I'll be very disappointed.
* Which reminds me of my brother. Now that he's away at college, my mom's tidied up his room, but prior to that, his room was so messy one step wrong and you could break your neck.
So overall? Go see this movie. It deserves all the praise it gets and more, and you will not regret it.
Carol: This one I was already intrigued by from what I heard about it, and the trailer looks amazing. Rooney Mara is fantastic, Cate Blanchett is fantastic...it's going to be wonderful, I just know it.
Spotlight: Very disturbing subject matter. It looks interesting, but very disturbing.
Secrets In Their Eyes: This really intrigued me. I might have to see the film sometime to see how it turns out.
The Big Short: The only really funny trailer we got here. Also interested in seeing how this turns out.
Joy: Jennifer Lawrence just looks like she's going to be awesome in this.
The Revenant: Looks intriguing, though I will admit the part where the father in the trailer was all but buried alive really got me shivering. Don't know if I want to see this one -- it seems pretty unsettling.
Movie experience:
Went with a friend of mine. Said friend also bonded with my parents, which was nice -- only downside was a falling out later with my parents about school and such. Let's say that I can't wait for the holidays where I'm not under as much stress.
The movie itself:
I admit there were parts that were hard to watch, such as the main character, Watney, getting speared and having to treat the wound -- if you're squeamish about that stuff, you'll probably have to cover your eyes, as well as the matter of Watney's crops getting destroyed (well-done scene, really fucking hard to watch), but the funny thing about a stranded-on-another-planet movie is that it actually does have some quite funny moments, such as Watney discovering the commander's disco collection, one character's messy room where he actually trips over his stuff * (and the same character, later on, making flying noises just near the NASA leader during his presentation of a plan on how to get back to Earth), the repartee between the crew (I really liked that in the beginning prior to that storm sending things to hell; the cast really had wonderful chemistry that made you believe that they really were a close crew), Watney's logs (including calling himself a space pirate -- It Makes Sense In Context -- and dipping a potato in crushed Vicodin after he ran out of ketchup), and that one Lord of the Rings reference in the movie where the same character who did the flight noises near the NASA president calls his project "Project Elrond" (bonus points for Sean Bean actually being in that scene and helping explain the reference). There's plenty more, because the humor in this is very clever, but those are just a few of my favorites.
The acting was also excellent. I already loved Chiwetel Ejiofor when I saw him in Serenity (where he really helped the Operative not seem like a one-dimensional madman out to get River, but as someone who genuinely believes he's doing what's right while acknowledging how horrific what he's doing is), so it was a pleasure seeing him back (where he plays a good guy, and really instills that part with a lot of grace and dignity as well as heart, because this guy is going to do whatever it takes to make sure the main gets home alive and in one piece). And Matt Damon plays Watney -- I actually remember first seeing him in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Dogma (where he and Ben Affleck did great in their roles as fallen angels, and sympathetic ones to boot), and he did just as excellent a job here. He really gave Watney a lot of resilience and wit and warmth that really made you give a shit about him and him surviving. I've always believed that one crucial component to make a story succeed is likable or at least compelling characters and The Martian really succeeds in that regard. Jessica Chastain (and this is the first movie I've seen her in) plays Commander Lewis and she really gives this character a lot of grit, dignity and bravery that makes her another one of my personal favorites. Sean Bean's also in this, and I already love the guy ( Lord of the Rings , National Treasure , etc.) so it was a real pleasure to see him again as well, and he gave his character, Mitch, a very warm, sort of Dr. McCoy-ish streak -- this guy's willing to do anything also to get Watney off Mars. And there were some turns that actually surprised me; Jeff Daniels as the NASA president (I mostly remember him from Dumb and Dumber so him playing a very serious character and doing a very convincing job at conveying the seriousness of being the NASA president...well done, Mr. Daniels), Kristen Wiig (who I remember from Despicable Me 2) playing a NASA worker...it was definitely very much Playing Against Type here, and it worked amazingly. And on a non-Playing-Against-Type note, Kate Mara -- she was awesome as well. A lot of grit, dignity and bravery to this character.
The characters themselves were also awesome. There was Watney, who was incredibly resourceful, resilient (because he never really let things get to him, he never gave up), innovative, funny (even joking about his predicament), caring deeply about his parents (one really touching scene was him saying that if he didn't get back, he wanted people to tell his parents what happened. Very movingly done, and very realistic), having a good relationship with his crewmates (one scene is Martinez, one of the crew, making some snarky comments and the rest of the crew, including the stranded Watney, grinning), and generally awesome. There was also the crew themselves, who were very endearing and willing to do anything to get their stranded crewmember back (even risking a possible court-martial -- granted, that was only mentioned and never happened, but goddamn, that's loyalty right there), and once they do, there's pretty much hugs and cheers and joking about disco all-around. It's a really lovely bit about how strong friendship can be, especially since this time, Commander Lewis gets to save him. I also liked the little interactions among the crew, such as one character talking about his son's third birthday party -- they're little details, but they really do help the crew feel like a crew. There's also the NASA workers, who are doing whatever they can to help the main character get off Mars -- the president, who's portrayed as a well-meaning but kind of frustrated in his efforts man, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sean Bean's characters, who are mostly there to tell him to just do what's right. Plus Donald Glover's character, who's very much a genius and quirky and funny, and the Chinese characters, who really do lend a hand after one attempt to rescue the main character goes to hell. And the general sense of optimism that pervades the film -- Watney's humor and resilience, and everyone at NASA and in the main character's crew doing everything to make sure their astronaut and crewmember gets out okay. And the fact that people around the world are eager to find out if he'll be all right, especially since at the beginning of the film, he was presumed dead after the mission went wrong. There's quite a bit of cynicism underlying some movies nowadays, and I think it's good to keep in mind that sometimes, the good really does win. (Plus the bit near the end, where Watney finds a plant on Earth, a bit of a callback to where he "colonized" Mars by planting potatoes to survive. It was a nice touch)
I also really liked the bits of soundtrack that played throughout the movie, bits of old pop songs, including one use of "I Will Survive" in the end credits, which was a clever touch. Honestly, the movie was, plain and simply, fantastic. If this gets snubbed come Oscar season, I'll be very disappointed.
* Which reminds me of my brother. Now that he's away at college, my mom's tidied up his room, but prior to that, his room was so messy one step wrong and you could break your neck.
So overall? Go see this movie. It deserves all the praise it gets and more, and you will not regret it.
