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Post by monica4567 on Oct 13, 2015 0:05:06 GMT
I'm guessing this is as good a place as any to talk about this! Anyone who's seen it, would love to hear what you thought. Let me know if you read the book, b/c I'll constantly be making references ("well, in the book"), which can get pretty obnoxious - unless you've read the book! I'll start by saying I really enjoyed the movie. Even though I'd read the book, the movie managed to keep me on the edge of my seat. I saw it in 3D, and seeing the Martian vistas, the red, sharp landscapes, was worth the price of admission alone.
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Oct 17, 2015 4:02:49 GMT
I saw it today! I have not read the book - didn't even know there was one - and I went in completely cold, having no idea what the movie was even about except that it involved Matt Damon stranded in space.
Okay, rather detailed analysis coming up!
I'm not very partial to survival stories, because I usually feel like they try too hard for suspense by just throwing random obstacles at the person and said person overcoming them all by an astounding grasp of an unbelievably wide range of scientific knowledge both of which push the boundaries of the suspension of disbelief, the only stakes are survival (which quickly bore me because you KNOW they'll survive, so it's pre-spoiled), and the only emotional tension is the inevitable cycle of the character railing at the forces that be/existential angst, the obligatory yuckworthy/gagworthy scenes where the character has to do something extremely messy/disgusting/painful/violent to survive, and the ending where they come out sadder, wiser, and emotionally damaged/distanced from humanity.
Well, it WAS fairly predictable, but don't get me wrong, I really liked this one!
I was even prepared not to like it when he got stranded. I thought, here we go again, he's going to find out he's alone and now the angst will begin, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every single one of the things that I dislike about survival movies was addressed, and it was so much better!
I just love the fact that the MC faced it all with a semse of humor, and that we never got the 'oh god I'm going to die' meltdown, that instead he just set to work and began solving the problems set before him. I also like the fact that he got characterization and plot development that WASN'T the saddest backstory, i.e. he was a giant geek and he OWNED it - that the destruction of the potato crop wasn't just a RANDOM ACT OF DESTRUCTION OH NOES HE IS GONNA DIE WHAT NOW thing, but that it was part desperation AND a professional blow...he was the first person to get something to grow on Mars, but now his work is destroyed.
I like the fact that all of the science was very plausible. I did have some slight groans when no one thought of a gravitational slingshot and then the nerd guy physically positioned people in the room to explain this to people who probably all had degrees in rocket science, but that's not really a big deal because it's a film so it requires something happening while people talk, and there had to be SOME kind of explanation for laymen. Plus that scene was amusing. XD
I also really like how they got around the science/survival barrier by establishing communications so that he was alone yet not alone, and other people could fill in the gaps in his knowledge.
I just...I just like the fact that there was actual story in the story, and snark to boot!
Also. Also. BEST. WORST. MUSIC. It's like they thought about the best way to troll the audience, and they hit upon it. (Apologies to people who like disco. I just...aaaaaah, it BURRRRNNNNSSS. X-P)
Okay, I will admit, the vast majority of my b!tching about survival movies is directed at Gravity, and the other one where the guy was trapped in a rock crevice for three days and drank his own urine and sawed his own arm off to escape. :-P
Anyway, thata's my take so far. Anyone else seen it/what did you think?
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Post by Danielle Wayland on Oct 17, 2015 14:32:10 GMT
Somehow overlooked this thread... I'm in the same boat as in I didn't know it was a book first. I remember the first time I saw a preview for the movie and did an eternal groan: "looks like the type of dude flick I'd have zero interest in" and "-sigh- I highly dislike movies in space". My first point seemed to have been made when I later saw the preview while watching tv with my boy and his friends. They were all "I WANNA SEE THAT!" Ugh. Then I got invited to see it with them same dudes and I thought "eh, why not, got nothing better to do". Gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. I love snarky characters, the fun references to current pop culture, and the good guy/bad guy interplay the people in NASA had going on instead of veering strictly in one area. I heard that there were so many other times in the book where the mc faced conflict, which made me raise an eyebrow cause there were so much crap hitting the fan in the movie; I can only imagine how much longer it would have been if they included a couple more. I don't really have any intention to read the book since I have other things on my reading list (I just started Maze Runner ), so if you wanna talk about the book I'd be interested to read posts on it. Also another thing I really liked... no annoying romance!
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Oct 19, 2015 16:12:56 GMT
I like how everyone was realistic. They all had their stakes, sure, but no one was a stereotypical caricature like we so often get. I don't mind romance, but I don't like it when it becomes the sole motivation. I like how in this movie there WAS romance, but it was natural and not overly dramatic.
Also.
The ELROND project.
That explanation!
WITH SEAN BEAN SITTING AT THE TABLE THE WHOLE TIME.
I lost it.
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Post by monica4567 on Oct 19, 2015 16:48:30 GMT
I loved that moment! I kept looking at Sean Bean expecting something, which was silly, but it couldn't be helped. By the way, that wasn't in the book. Totally put in for Sean Bean, I think!
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Post by Jᴀy V. Aꜱᴛᴇʀ 💀🐍 on Oct 19, 2015 17:30:33 GMT
Yeah, Ib dad totally expecting a line from him too! That would have been perfect.
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Post by MelCorbett on Nov 13, 2015 1:52:59 GMT
Woo! So, I finally saw this. So now I can jump in. You know, hella days late.
Apparently I missed super skinny Matt Damon's butt when I went to the bathroom... but it's cool.
I was totally dying for the Elrond project thing too.
And I liked how he bitched about the music the whole time, I kept thinking: why are you complaining? Did you not bring your own music you could listen to?
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