8th March, 2016.
You know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a film.
Let me clarify that, if I can.
Sunday?
Sunday, I managed to see Dad’s Army.
There’s slightly more ironic ways ways to celebrate Mothers Day, but I don’t know if I could you what they are.
At ANY rate, when I say “… it’s been a while since I’ve seen a film,” what I MEAN is …
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie … indoors … that I’ve bought or rented, myself.
Tonight, I did exactly that.
Tonight I rented out The Martian.
And whereas the last Ridley Scott film I saw — 2012’s Prometheus — was watchable, but flawed?
~≈Â≈~
Set in a not too distant future, The Martian shows us the crew of the Ares 3 mission: led by Captain Lewis (Jessica Chastaine), the team are on the surface of Mars for a projected 31 Martian says.
And are halfway through their mission, when ordered to abort the mission, and evacuate the planet: in the face of an oncoming storm.
Unfortunately?
In the rush, Astronaut Mark Watney — Matt Damon — is left for dead, when an uprooted antenna hits him.
And the crew have to leave Mars, without him.
What his fellows don’t know … ?
Is that Mark has survived …
Survived …
And has to figure out how to grow food, on a planet with little fertile soil, less oxygen … and even LESS water.
All that, and figure out how to tell Earth he’s not dead!
~≈Â≈~
Now … ?
Back on form … ?
Oh, LORD, yes!
Now I don’t know if you saw Prometheus: or, if you did, what you thought of it.
I did.
AND I liked it.
But believe it wasn’t necessarily Ridley Scott’s best work.
Critic, Mark Kermode, said something along the lines of “Prometheus is a work of genius, wrapped up in a film that’s merely OK.”
I have to agree with him, there: Prometheus is good, but could well have been a lot better, even though it is visually stunning.
The Martian, on the other hand?
I don’t know where — precisely — where Prometheus went wrong.
But I don’t think Scott made the same mistakes with The Martian.
The film jogs along at a nice pace, acting and writing are beautifully done, the visuals and music are incredible …
And scene follows scene seamlessly.
Seamlessly.
The Martian deeply reminded me of the original Alien, right from the get go: unsurprisingly, given its director.
Both are science-fiction pieces with working spaceships, peopled with real human crews: and have a climax depending on blowing something from an airlock.
But, where Alien was a blood drenched, gore fest?
The Martian was FAR more upbeat: warm oranges, to Alien’s deep greys.
And just as beautiful …
The Martian
★★★★
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