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

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F

firehawk12

Subete no aware
BobbyRoberts said:
Which is understandable, (trust me, a lack of faith in Ridley Scott isn't at all out of the ordinary for me) but Scott didn't write either the book, or the adaptation of it for the film, and apparently didn't interfere in that adaptation all that much, so he's just making sure the actors act right, and everything looks good. Which is what you want Ridley Scott doing. Getting out of his own fucking way.

But even without Ridley Scott's involvement, "The Martian" being described as "a more boring Gravity," isn't all that accurate. The Martian isn't trying to do what Gravity's doing in a dramatic sense at all. Its aims are completely different. Gravity wants to keep you tense and freaked the fuck out at all times. The Martian isn't really about that.
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I'll admit, the only thing I know about The Martian is that it's an astronaut trapped in space alone and he has to find a way to survive, so even if the similarities are entirely superficial, it's really my first gut reaction.

Throw in Ridley Scott and I really have no idea what to expect. Certainly I don't think it'll be Alien/Blade Runner Ridley Scott anyway. I think the most I would expect these days is Kingdom of Heaven Extended Cut Ridley Scott.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
Kinyou said:
Good lord, wut?
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liquidtmd said:
giphy.gif
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Y'all some jaded motherfuckers. Don't you at least hope it will actually do something like this?
 
N

Nappuccino

Member
BobbyRoberts said:
I have expectations somewhere around Matchstick Men Ridley Scott.

Which is still actually kinda high.
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I mean, Matchstick Men is Scott's secret best movie.

Alien and Blade Runner don't count because they were directed by a different Ridley Scott. Of that, I'm convinced.

edit: Devin Feraci's review is really interesting considering he and his co-host smack talk Scott all the time on their podcast. Most of that is deserved, but they also don't care for Blade Runner either. That metric doesn't really help me appreciate his review . . . I'm not sure why I brought it up.
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
Saw this at an advance screening in town tonight, really enjoyed it. My wife has read the book, I haven't, and we both enjoyed it and she said I really should read the book (I will). So far I'd say this is my third favorite movie of 2015 after Mad Max and Inside Out.

For comparison I really enjoyed Gravity, thought Prometheus was visually stunning but awful story wise, and was mixed on Interstellar - loved the audacity and vision, hated the maudlin bits. The Martian movie really redeemed Ridley Scott to me after Prometheus, Exodus, and The Counselor.

The screener was in 3D but I'd recommend just normal, 3D didn't really add anything and honestly distracted a few times.
 
C

Cindres

Vied for a tag related to cocks, so here it is.
There no proper thread for this movie? Just got back and I LOOVED it.

STARRRRRR MAAAAAAN WAITING IN THE SKY

EDIT: Guessing from this that it's not out worldwide? UK Release was today.
 
H

hospitaldriver

Member
Caught this today due to it having a Wednesday release in the UK.

I've not read the book previously and had only seen a small amount of the trailer prior to going in.

Really, really enjoyed it. Was a lot funnier than I expected, like I said not having read the novel Im not sure if that is the tone the book goes for.

Nice to see Scott back on strong Sci Fi form following Prometheus, which while looking great is an awful movie.

Movie looks stunning as you would expect from a Ridley Scott film.
 
O

Odothehero

Member
Just got back from seeing it.

I really liked it. Haven't read the book but I think I will now.

It was funnier than I expected, and also poignant when it needed to be without rubbing it in your face. Matt Damon was great at making you care for his character straight away. And the ending sequence was fantastic, fixing all these problems on the fly.

The rest of the crew weren't really expanded on too much, nor were some of the NASA people. But hopefully I should get my fix of that in the book.

So yeah solid movie. Scott was due for a good one.
 
M

MadLaughter

Member
The Martian |OT| In Your Face, Neil Armstrong

The Martian |OT| Pythagoras is a Dick

The Martian |OT| I'm Pretty Much Fucked

The Martian |OT| Potato Party

The Martian |OT| Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped

The Martian |OT| In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl

The Martian |OT| A desperate struggle for survival, with occasional titration

Not that I possess the skills to make an OT, but I want one :(
 
J

Jason's Ultimatum

Member
MadLaughter said:
The Martian |OT| In Your Face, Neil Armstrong

The Martian |OT| Pythagoras is a Dick

The Martian |OT| I'm Pretty Much Fucked

The Martian |OT| Potato Party

The Martian |OT| Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped

The Martian |OT| In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl

The Martian |OT| A desperate struggle for survival, with occasional titration

Not that I possess the skills to make an OT, but I want one :(
Click to expand...

The Martian |OT| The Bourne Martian
The Martian |OT| Bourne goes to Mars
 
Melon Husk

Melon Husk

Member
MadLaughter said:
The Martian |OT| In Your Face, Neil Armstrong

The Martian |OT| Pythagoras is a Dick

The Martian |OT| I'm Pretty Much Fucked

The Martian |OT| Potato Party

The Martian |OT| Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped

The Martian |OT| In space, no one can hear you scream like a little girl

The Martian |OT| A desperate struggle for survival, with occasional titration

Not that I possess the skills to make an OT, but I want one :(
Click to expand...

Vote for Potato Party
 
tauroxd

tauroxd

Member
I watched it yesterday in an early screening for the press. I loved it, I thought it was very well done. I was afraid, I read the book about 5 months ago and I absolutely fell in love with it but thought some of it could not translate too well to the screen. but it was a very good job. I missed some things from the book that I understand why the skipped them
the problem with the communciation equiptment caused by the drill, the storm that blocked the sun and the tipping of the explorer where not shown, I think because it would extend the movie by a lot, even though one shot looked that it was put there to precede the scenes about the storm
, and they added a little more at the end. wich was better because I asked for it when reading the book and also spiced up a little the stuff just after the ending
Watney does the Iron Man and the one who grabs him was Lewis and not Beck, and they made a little Gravity there to add some tense moments when grabbing him
, but those changes were for the better, it made the movie more appealing and enjoyable.

The movies looked pretty beatifull, those vistas we well done and everything about Mars is so enjoyable because it looks too good.

I was not sure Matt Damon was t he right choice for Mark when I found he was the one in the role, but when I was 10 minutes into the movie I was already sold on him as the character, so it was a good choice.

I would recommend this movie a lot to all kinds of people, specially those not into Sci Fi, because is a very down to Earth (or Mars lol) Sci Fi, and it does a good job to keep you well informed and not lose you into what's happening while presenting a very good and enjoyable movie about don't giving up and it is a funny one, not as awesomely funny as the book, but you will have plenty of laughs across the movie.

MadLaughter said:
The Martian |OT| Duct tape is magic and should be worshiped
Click to expand...

I vote for this!
 
tauroxd

tauroxd

Member
bonesmccoy said:
Question for those who've read the book and seen the film:

Did Scott axe the terrible space-love subplot?
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You mean Beck and Johanssen? It was subtle. just a little moment in an scene after the end to make it clear they had something and a mini scene at the end but the movie never touches that like the book. never seen them together or somethign like that, just at the end and it is very, very brief.
 
tauroxd

tauroxd

Member
KHarvey16 said:
Another question for those who have read the book and seen the film:

Is China involved in the rescue?
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Yes. I would've liked to see a scene of that previous to the one we saw first in the movie, but that thing is still on the movie.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
The Martian |OT| Fuck you Mars

I know this is PG 13, and people in NASA swore like sailors, but I really hope that Watneys "Fuck you" line from the book survived. It was the absolute highlight of the book for me.



hospitaldriver said:
Really, really enjoyed it. Was a lot funnier than I expected, like I said not having read the novel Im not sure if that is the tone the book goes for
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Book is very funny. To everyone who wants to read book after film, I also reccomend excellent audiobook version of it. Heck, check both of them out.


Blader said:
For people who've seen: worth watching in 3D or just stick to 2D?
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Ridley filmed this in 3D.
 
S

Smokey_Run

Member
Debating on making a trip tonight to see this with the hurricane coming up the coast this weekend. Gotta see if the 8pm showing tonight is 3D or 2D though.
 
S

Soulscribe

Member
My two favorite movies of the past couple years were Gravity and Interstellar, so naturally I'm hella excited about this film.
 
L

Lord Virgin

Unconfirmed Member
overcast said:
I have the option to see it in 2D or 3D for free. Is 3D worth it?
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Well, I hate 3D and it didn't add anything to the experience (except the fact that I was annoyed by those stupid glasses) soo...if you've a chance to see it in IMAX 2D ; go for it.

Also: posted my thoughts on the film in the Movie thread but what the hell:

The Martian

Was really looking forward to this one. Space travel, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain; before you go in the comparison to Interstellar is already made. But The Martian is a lot more like Gravity; the main character must find a way to survive against all odds and go back to earth (seriously, stop sending Matt Damon into space). The Martian distinguishes itself from those two with humor: there is a lot of more humor in this one than there was in Interstellar or Gravity (not a feat hard to achieve but still).

This works for and against the movie. The serious moments really grab you by the throat (thanks to a good performance by Damon): all odds are against him and whenever the seriousness of the situation gets to him (something he clearly tries to avoid by cracking jokes) you really feel for the guy. Unfortunately these moments are rare and I would have liked to see them tackling that a bit more (not to sound like a pessimist). His optimism is fun to watch though and Ridley Scott is pretty consequent in that his characters really feel like characters. I also appreciated them avoiding certain clichés.

Visually it looks good (nothing really outstanding mind you), especially the scenes on Mars. There is a moment in the last act that really reminds you of Gravity and it was very well done. Recently I've been paying more attention to film music and I must say: The Martian was a letdown on that front. The music was just kinda there but I already forgot it completely. Too bad.

It opens great; very fast and not a minute is wasted in the opening. The second act feels kinda bumpy tho; the back and forth between earth and Mars wasn't done proper imo. Especially the scenes on earth felt like they were slowing the movie down even though those moments are used to advance the plot. Very weird. I also feel that on a rewatch those moments will be really hard to sit through. The movie should have ended 5 minutes sooner than it did; it would have made for a stronger ending and had more impact.

All in all: enjoyed it, visually really good at times, too bad of the score. Good performances by the actors/actresses, an interesting plot and some funny moments (though certain lines were just really bad). I do think that on a rewatch this will be harder to sit through (that second act especially). I was also missing that moment of 'genius' I was looking forward to but never got. Ohh well.

3.5/5

I would put it:

1.Interstellar
2.The Martian
3.Gravity

Are there any upcoming sci-fi blockbusters like this in the near future? (not SW, fuck that) I really like these kinds of movies.
 
B

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Really dug it. And I thought the score would be something special with that opening track but it sort of devolved into a running gag. I think I would have preferred an earnest attempt at a nice score.

I also adored the surreal, and melancholic shots of Mars near the end. Just gorgeous.
 
S

Smokey_Run

Member
I just got back. I'm interested to see what fans of the book think of the film. I liked it quite a bit. I'm interested to see what a Ridley Scott director's cut would look like though.

I liked most of the changes, but I think they made the ending more over the top.
 
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