Based on an excellent sci-fi book that is far more science than fiction, Ridley Scott’s The Martian wins a Close But No Cigar award. There isn’t anything about it that’s bad, from the performances to the stunning vistas of Mars, but it strikes the wrong tone. During a manned mission to the red planet, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead by his crew during an evacuation. But he lived, and is forced to make a go of it by himself for several years until NASA can rescue him. The book, truly, is a terrific read, one that relies less on traditional American sci-fi heroism than hacking and trial and error. At one point, Watney refers to himself as a space pirate. That’s the mood and personality the film misses. It’s too pristine, with no hints of duct tape holding it together.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2015.
I guess, with a 90% rating on Rottentomatoes from all “critics”, and all “Tomatoes” by Top Critics I’ll take their word for this movie instead of the Tucson Weekly’s reviewer. Did you actually see the movie?
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martia…
Right, so it could have been an awesome ‘space pirate’ vibed movie, but it went astray and became more of a pristine, no duct tape, Saving Private Ryan? Arrhhh! They’re no doubt kicking themselves for going with Damon instead of Depp.