The martian movie critic reviews
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While not propaganda per se, the film seeks to galvanize (rather than terrorize) those who might shape the future. Clarke sequel “2010.” But instead of trying to scare people off space travel, Scott and company recombine these elements in hopes of inspiring a generation for whom the moon landing and shuttle missions are now ancient history, practically nostalgia, while the American space program sits mothballed.
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The sleek, science-friendly elegance of Arthur Max’s production design recalls “Silent Running” (another sci-fi parable with a botanist hero), while its running series of logistical challenges echoes Arthur C. With no acid-dripping extraterrestrials to menace him on Mars and no James Cameron-style greedy corporate villains ready to sacrifice him on Earth (just Jeff Daniels, still in “The Newsroom” mode, as a pragmatic NASA honcho forced to make some tough calls), “The Martian” feels downright, well, Martian compared with the vast majority of space-travel dramas.
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Nothing brings the people of this planet together quite like space travel, and Scott manages to alternate between the immediate Reader’s Digest appeal of Watney’s sol-to-sol survival on Mars with the unifying impact his potential rescue has back on Earth, where TV viewers follow every development and the Chinese even declassify a secret space program in order to help.
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And while Watney may be stranded by himself on Mars, he’s anything but alone, with the best minds on Earth working overtime to bring him home - if only he can figure out how to communicate with the good folks at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.
Nor does he distract himself with attempting to pioneer the field of 3D filmmaking, though he does incorporate the technology in effective yet nondistracting ways.Īt its most basic, “The Martian” serves as an epic homage to the nerd - a deferential widescreen celebration of human intelligence in a genre that so often hinges on speed, braun or sheer midi-chlorian levels (thanks for nothing, George Lucas). Though the film proves reasonably suspenseful in parts, Scott isn’t trying to generate the same real-time intensity as “Gravity” (in fact, “The Martian” takes place over nearly two years, demanding an altogether different pace). “The Martian” finds Scott and his team innovating once again, this time moving in the direction of the plausible to present the most realistic version possible of a manned mission to Mars (with a few well-chosen stylistic flourishes courtesy of costume designer Janty Yates). The helmer is already responsible for two of most influential sci-fi movies of all time, “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” and he has better things to do than repeat himself - or anyone else, for that matter. Before “Gravity,” studio executives might have thought twice before greenlighting such a big-budget space drama (surely such Mars-set disappointments as “Red Planet,” “John Carter” and “Mission to Mars” must have given them pause), and while a good portion of “The Martian’s” audience will surely be hoping for a repeat of Sandra Bullock’s white-knuckle experience, Scott has a different agenda altogether.