The Martian

[osprey_archer]

I saw The Martian! It was fun! And also surprisingly funny for a movie in which the main character almost dies about fifteen times, not least because of all the shenanigans they have to pull to get around the fact that the hero is saying "FUCK" a lot more than you're allowed to show in a PG-13 movie. (sineala commented that they "literally ran out of fucks to give," which is I think the best description of this phenomenon.)

It's also, in a tense and filled with mortal peril way, a feel-good movie. Although some of the characters make questionable decisions (the director of NASA comes to mind here), no one ever even entertains thoughts like, "How about we just leave him on Mars and cover the whole thing up?" No. It's a movie about decent, competent people pulling together to bring a stranded astronaut home, and they sometimes have differing opinions about the best way to do it, that's all.

Besides, when the hero's already up against Mars, there's really no need for a human antagonist. Space is plenty difficult on its own.

Comments

[alby-mangroves.livejournal.com]

It's a movie about decent, competent people pulling together - YESSSS I loved that aspect of it so much. My competence kink was pinging on high. Fantastic movie :D

[inspirethoughts.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I have yet to watch this. Your post wants me to watch it more. :)

[buhfly.livejournal.com]

Yours is the first review I've seen call it a feel good movie. I really want to see it, but that scene in the trailer where his helmet cracks and he's trying to get the duct tape to cooperate freaks me out so bad.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Ha, well, it's feel-good in a very particular way. Some of the scenes are rough (there's another one before the broken helmet scene that I watched mostly through my fingers), but the overall effect is uplifting and exhilarating: everyone is pulling together to help this guy.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy it if you do!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's like a movie-long extravaganza of competence porn. I don't think I've ever seen so much competence porn in one place before! Probably because creating it at that density has to require a ton of work.

I kind of want to read the book now, too.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I'm glad it's good.

I think it's pretty funny that in both this and Interstellar, Matt Damon plays a guy abandoned on an inhospitable planet. Talk about narrow typecasting!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm always curious when things like this happen to actors. Did the producers of the second movie see the first one and think, "He did so well in this role, let's have a reprise!"

[buhfly.livejournal.com]

That's so refreshing, though.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I suspect, actually, that that's precisely what happened.

[goldjadeocean.livejournal.com]

I liked the meme going around: "Between Saving Private Ryan, Interstellar, and The Martian, we have spent a shit ton of money trying to save Matt Damon."

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

LOL, I hadn't seen, but YES THIS.

[alby-mangroves.livejournal.com]

I listened to the audio book which was kind of amazing, though the science stuff went well over my head. But I really enjoyed it anyway.