The Martian
Nov. 16th, 2015 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I really enjoyed it.
That is the most important thing.
I also don't know when there was last such a fun and positive space film, "Apollo 13" maybe. I can see why NASA helped the film-makers out, because this is the best advert for manned space travel I can imagine.
And, as I said, tremendously positive. Most of the positivity was directed at people, because it's a film with no bad guys, it's just man vs nature, gravity and petty bureaucracy, and even then there's a lovely scene where it's made quite clear that while Cmdr. Lewis is mission commander so her astronauts are her responsibility, and Henderson is astronaut commander so all the astronauts are his responsibility, Teddy is responsible for all of NASA, up in space and on the ground, so he really does have to consider the impact of losing all of the Ares 3 crew on the mission would have on future missions.
Everyone is doing their best and doing the right thing and it's lovely. I love the bit with the Chinese scientists where they go "our secret rocket could help, but it's secret and no-one would know if we didn't help," but don't even hesitate for a second to help, because someone is in trouble.
Or Watney's constant and immediate comments that it's not the rest of the crew's fault.
Or Vogel, who has a wide and a small football team of kids waiting for him, and there's this pause when they discuss rescuing Watney, and he goes "900 days in space is enough" while his eyes go, 'I couldn't go back to them knowing I left someone to die', even though he knows the dangers and <3 Vogel. <3 them all really.
Seriously, my heart grew 3 sizes watching this.
During one of the shots of Mars, I happily noticed the lack of lens flare and wondered who the director was. Apparently it's some up and comer called Ridley Scott. I predict the young man will go far ;)
It's everything I love about Scott's directing, and about as close to a cinema verite sci-fi as we're going to get. I love how the film doesn't try to tug the heartstrings, but I'm not sure if that's from the source material. there'd be the temptation to put the scene with Martinez and his wife and daughter earlier to pile on Vogel's dilemma, but they don't and I think the hit of 'he'd do it for me' works better that way.
I keep forgetting to praise Matt Damon, because I keep forgetting he's in it. Which is pretty major praise. That's how much I believed in his performance, and Mark Watney as a person. And I <3 Watney, not just because he's a hero biologist. It's his spirit and his humour. I love how he (and the film) never quite admits that a lot of what he does is mental busy work to stop him from having to dwell on the danger he's in. Obviously, it's also stuff that's vital for his physical survival, but I suspect that maintaining mental health is also vital.
~~~~ End of Review ~~~~
Some notes:
1 - I like that they leave most of the object CGI for things like the Hermes which are supposed to be shiny.
2 - What they do with Cmdr. Lewis is interesting, because she's the mission commander and, as well as doing 'the lonliness of command' in a v. Master and Commander way, at no point does anyone go 'as a woman how could/can you?!' and it's so refreshing.
3 - How to tell Sean Bean is playing a good guy? Yorkshire accent!
That is the most important thing.
I also don't know when there was last such a fun and positive space film, "Apollo 13" maybe. I can see why NASA helped the film-makers out, because this is the best advert for manned space travel I can imagine.
And, as I said, tremendously positive. Most of the positivity was directed at people, because it's a film with no bad guys, it's just man vs nature, gravity and petty bureaucracy, and even then there's a lovely scene where it's made quite clear that while Cmdr. Lewis is mission commander so her astronauts are her responsibility, and Henderson is astronaut commander so all the astronauts are his responsibility, Teddy is responsible for all of NASA, up in space and on the ground, so he really does have to consider the impact of losing all of the Ares 3 crew on the mission would have on future missions.
Everyone is doing their best and doing the right thing and it's lovely. I love the bit with the Chinese scientists where they go "our secret rocket could help, but it's secret and no-one would know if we didn't help," but don't even hesitate for a second to help, because someone is in trouble.
Or Watney's constant and immediate comments that it's not the rest of the crew's fault.
Or Vogel, who has a wide and a small football team of kids waiting for him, and there's this pause when they discuss rescuing Watney, and he goes "900 days in space is enough" while his eyes go, 'I couldn't go back to them knowing I left someone to die', even though he knows the dangers and <3 Vogel. <3 them all really.
Seriously, my heart grew 3 sizes watching this.
During one of the shots of Mars, I happily noticed the lack of lens flare and wondered who the director was. Apparently it's some up and comer called Ridley Scott. I predict the young man will go far ;)
It's everything I love about Scott's directing, and about as close to a cinema verite sci-fi as we're going to get. I love how the film doesn't try to tug the heartstrings, but I'm not sure if that's from the source material. there'd be the temptation to put the scene with Martinez and his wife and daughter earlier to pile on Vogel's dilemma, but they don't and I think the hit of 'he'd do it for me' works better that way.
I keep forgetting to praise Matt Damon, because I keep forgetting he's in it. Which is pretty major praise. That's how much I believed in his performance, and Mark Watney as a person. And I <3 Watney, not just because he's a hero biologist. It's his spirit and his humour. I love how he (and the film) never quite admits that a lot of what he does is mental busy work to stop him from having to dwell on the danger he's in. Obviously, it's also stuff that's vital for his physical survival, but I suspect that maintaining mental health is also vital.
~~~~ End of Review ~~~~
Some notes:
1 - I like that they leave most of the object CGI for things like the Hermes which are supposed to be shiny.
2 - What they do with Cmdr. Lewis is interesting, because she's the mission commander and, as well as doing 'the lonliness of command' in a v. Master and Commander way, at no point does anyone go 'as a woman how could/can you?!' and it's so refreshing.
3 - How to tell Sean Bean is playing a good guy? Yorkshire accent!
