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First Reviews for The Martian (dir. Ridley Scott; based on the book; Matt Damon)

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Toothless

Member
It just had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

An enthralling and rigorously realistic outer-space survival story.

- Peter Debruge, Variety

Nail-biting it ain't, but thanks to a zingy script and a winning lost-in-space performance from Matt Damon, this is the most fun Ridley Scott has been in years.

- Tim Robey, The Guardian

The thing about The Martian is that it plays more as an roller-coaster event picture, but appeals to the smarter, more mature and demanding audiences who tend to turn out for end-of-year dramatic fare. It bridges the gap between effects-driven tentpoles and Oscar-seeking human dramas. No matter your taste, you’ll find something to celebrate here. It’s one of the year’s best films.

- Sean O'Connell, CinemaBlend

The Martian might just be an empty spacesuit underneath the science and spectacle, but it's a very entertaining one.

- Sam Woolf, We Got This Covered

It's a film that would pass the time on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
- David Jenkins, Little White Lies

The streamlined narrative and the film's consistent pacing, aided by a cast who don't make a wrong-footed move, makes for easy popcorn entertainment.
- Kevin Jagernauth, The Playlist

Pleasantly surprised this appears to not be a Ridley Scott stinker. Probably will end up being his best film since Gladiator.
 

Fury451

Banned
Kind of interesting how the review sound mixed, but ultimately positive. Like calling it an empty space suit, but entertaining anyways, or it not being a nailbiter, but still ultimately good. That sort of the opposite of what I expected.

Still have to finish the second half of the book though, so maybe that's an accurate reflection of the source material.
 

Chris R

Member
Good to hear it isn't total trash.

Picked up the book when I was sick in bed earlier this year and plowed through it that day. Just wish the trailers weren't so spoilery :( Roommate who hasn't read the book said "
look like he tries to take a rocket off Mars at somepoint?
" because of a scene in the trailer.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Sounds like it's at least watchable which is a step up from Ridley's last two turds.
 
L

Lord Virgin

Unconfirmed Member
Sounds like it's at least watchable which is a step up from Ridley's last two turds.

This.

Also: we need more movies like this. Last year we had Interstellar (which I loved) and before that it was Gravity (which I did not like that much but it was ok). Hollywood needs to do this more.
 
Some praises for Damon and Ridley:
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YbiQo90.jpg
 

Trey

Member
technical and completely devoid of tension, featuring dad humor. so basically like the book. I'll definitely check it out.
 

KimiNewt

Scored 3/100 on an Exam
technical and completely devoid of tension, featuring dad humor. so basically like the book. I'll definitely check it out.
To paraphrase the book: "If you're saying to yourself, 'he must be alive because he's talking to me now', don't be a smartass!". You know he's gonna live anyway.

This sounds good to me, except for the people who said the movie does not have the patience for the science the book has. Just two more weeks and I can see for myself.
 
well shit, the movie is still 3 weeks away :(

Yeah, that bummed me out too when I looked it up.

Definitely want to see this, I don't mind something a little less huge than something like Interstellar or really weird like some scifi movies lately like that Tom Cruise one (the one with the ball droids, not the Groundhog Day one).

I actually was a big fan of Red Planet back in the day and this seems like a better version of that.
 
name dropping Armageddon and Apollo 13 is getting me a bit worried tbh

The trailer was playing up those Apollo 13 vibes pretty hard. Or that's just how the film actually is.

That "it could pass time on a rainy afternoon" review is about where my expectations are for this.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
It's a film that would pass the time on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

I'd be embarrassed to write, edit or approve that line. Regardless of the movie's merits or lack thereof.


It would be hard to mess up the book. Seems like this is a winner.

You have to eliminate a vast swathe of repetitive math problems and add in a ton of color. I loved the book but there are almost no interesting visual descriptions anywhere.

In that regard it's a tricky mix of problems and opportunities, and harder than it would seem at first blush.

Also the sheer number of last minute failures in the story would get pretty exhausting for viewers.
 
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