Cast: So many good people. Matt Damon at the center, and...just everyone. Chiwetel Ejoifor, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover, Kate Mara, and, uh, others too. A lot of people wanted in on this.
Plot: On a mission to Mars, a NASA team is forced to make an emergency evacuation, accidentally leaving behind one of the crew , Mark Watney (Damon). He has to find a way to survive while the crew and every available body on Earth figure out a way to get him back.
Thoughts:
I loved this movie on nearly every level. It's been a while since Ridley Scott was on his game at this level. It looks fantastic. It doesn't talk down to the audience at any point. There aren't easy fixes to things. Drew Goddard's script is constantly hilarious without undercutting the stakes. I was at the edge of my seat more than once. It's the kind of movie where one character uses the phrase "as long as something bad doesn't happen", which all but guarantees something bad happens in the next scene and I was still completely sucked in (hehe).
This is a crowd-pleaser of the highest caliber. At a couple different point, my theater was on the verge of breaking into applause. I'm pretty sure the only reason it didn't happen was because no one knew if we were done.
This is some of the best work from nearly everyone in the cast. Damon is completely captivating in a mostly one-man show. Kristen Wiig is marvelously restrained. Jessica Chastain is far superior here to in Interstellar, Mackenzie Davis manages to avoid turning into Cameron from Halt and Catch Fire. Ojiofor should be in everything. Pena is a scene stealer in yet another movie. Donald Glover does a great deal with only a few scenes.
I'm all over the place with the praise because I don't know where to start or stop with it. The only reason I'm not immediately calling this movie my favorite of the year is because 1) the year isn't over and 2) 2015 has been a ridiculously strong year.
Elephant in the Room: Matt Damon is really turning me off these days. I learned long ago that you have to separate the actor from the work. It's the only way I can watch and love Tom Cruise movies. If Matt Damon's recent quotes are the your only reason for not wanting to see this, I implore you to reconsider.
To Sum Things Up:
This exceeded my expectations all-around with a strong script, expert directions, deep and talented cast, and excellent technical work (sound, visual-effects, etc.). I'm still riding a high from seeing it, so I'm going to try and calm down now.
Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment