Man on a Planet
October 6, 2015
The Martian (2015).
D: Ridley Scott. DP: Dariusz Wolski. W: Drew Goddard (Based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name). Starring: Matt Damon/Jessica Chastain/Chiwetel Ejiofer/Jeff Daniels/Kristen Wiig/Kate Mara/Sebastian Stan/Michael Peña/Aksel Henne/Mackenzie Davis/Donald Glover/Sean Bean.
Ridley Scott’s newest venture has sky rocketed in the box office over the weekend. The Martian will probably put Scott back on the sci-fi map, which is a credit to its source material and its star, Matt Damon. Even at nearly forty-five, Damon’s boyish charm and Jason Bourne determination make him an enjoyable force on screen.
I skipped out on Scott’s directorial effort Exodus: Gods and Kings last year and feel confident in that decision. Yet I did make time to see 2012’s Prometheus and even 2010’s Robin Hood. For me Prometheus was a mixed bag, but the lore of the Alien franchise was not something I was deeply connected to. Here in The Martian Scott is free from any baggage and seems to have a clearer hold on the story he wants to tell.
Based on Andy Weir’s initially self-published novel, The Martian is the story of astronaut and botanist Mark Watney (Damon) who is stranded on Mars following an injury during an emergency planet evacuation with his fellow crew-members. Thought to be dead, the crew starts their return home and he wakes up to the daunting task of feeding himself until the next Mars crew arrives in four years. Back on earth NASA eventually figures out Watney is alive and how to communicate with him and the rescue mission plans begin. The novel is a science heavy survival story with loads of humor that thankfully makes it into the film.
A difficult adaptation, Drew Goddard’s script does well in trying to balance Watney’s computer diary with the real rescue plan at home. Goddard previously adapted World War Z for the screen and co-wrote with Joss Whedon the fabulous Cabin in the Woods. Goddard’s script cannot match the wit of the novel, but that is simply because we cannot have a two hour film of just Damon making jokes. The best stick around, but the conventionality or studio glossing as I see it comes in back on earth, especially in a silly coda ending. The momentum is lost with Dr. Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofer) and a lot of the tension between the higher ups is diluted to humor and actor Sean Bean being able to say the Lord of the Rings joke from the book. Same can be said about the Mars crew, they aren’t given a chance to shine really, acting more as a catalyst for Watney’s escape possibilities.
The Martian however overcomes this with a visual palette that reiterates why mankind is so obsessed with space travel. Mars and Watney’s gadgets are a great backdrop for Damon’s exploration into how to really survive on the planet. Ultimately that is the joy of the film and the book. To see this character really figure out all the technology and science he needs to try to make it home. The Martian will surely continue to do well and makes me hopeful that Scott’s next movie might be even better.
Planetary Belly Laughs
March 2, 2015
Jupiter Ascending (2015).
D/W: The Wachowskis. DP: John Toll. Starring: Mila Kunis/Channing Tatum/Eddie Redmayne/Sean Bean/Douglas Booth/Tuppence Middleton/Maria Doyle Kennedy/Gugu Mbatha-Raw/Nikki Amuka-Bird.
First success is oftentimes like a hot air balloon. Full of performance and awe at the sendoff then you are just up in the sky waiting for the scenery to change. The Wachowskis brothers, now known as just The Wachowskis due to Laurence now living as a transgender woman named Lana, must have experienced this after the conclusion of their trilogy of Matrix films. Their new film Jupiter Ascending appears to be literally and figuratively chasing Neo and Morpheus down the rabbit hole.
Jupiter Ascending follows working class Russian immigrant Jupiter (Mila Kunis) who cleans toilet bowls with her mom all day and resolutely exclaims “I hate my life.” Yet frankly she never seems to do anything about changing it. Enter wolf human hybrid stud Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) to save her from near death and help her ponder the size of the universe. Apparently, Jupiter is the reincarnation of a dead ‘entitled’ queen whose children are now battling over their inheritances. Just some basic sci-fi Shakespeare for the masses. But what this leads to is long action sequences with a plot woven in that carries more humor than you would expect, frankly the whole film is a superb accidental comedy.
What works in Jupiter Ascending are some the action sequences, as laughable as the gadgets may seem. Wise’s hovering surfing boots are a charming way to allow Tatum to move wherever he pleases. The first Chicago action sequence is shot remarkably well, but by the time we get to the third long sequence it feels like a bore. Especially when Kunis is involved as there is a straight from video game moment where she must attempt to escape a burning planet. She doesn’t know where to go so the building tells her, oops not that way there’s flames and so on.
The lead couple’s chemistry leaves a lot to be desired and it’s sadly thrust to the forefront of the film towards act three. Kunis is rather wooden and resolute for the majority of the film until a few scenes where she turns it up a notch. At least she gets the humor right, especially with some moments with grunting Tatum whose physique seems to be his only tool here. A tool better served in Magic Mike. Tatum is a bit better alongside Sean Bean whose clear purpose is to provide back story for Caine Wise (could his name be more obvious). This is no Ned Stark however, be warned.
Eddie Redmayne has the unfortunate luck that this is the film that follows his Oscar winning performance in The Theory of Everything despite it being filmed over two years ago. His Balem Abrasax whispers commands and yells like a petulant child as he seems to have crept into this film from a failed gender swap production of King Lear. By the end he is practically begging reincarnated Mummy to tell him how much she really loved him, inheritance and all. Maybe it could have worked in a different film where his siblings, played by Douglas Booth and Tuppence Middleton, had more scenes with him.
Jupiter Ascending despite all its flaws addresses complex issues of consumption, greed, and the obsession with youth and time. The parallels between these themes and modern culture today are admirable. It shows the strength in the Wachowski’s core writing that was unable to deliver in the dialogue here. Sadly all the effects swallowed this project whole, but it is good for laughs.