Review: The Martian (2015)

When the hype kicked in before the release of The Martian, I vowed to locate a copy of the book and read it cover to cover, and then see it on the big screen. Only one of those things happened in the end. Ah, the best laid plans… To be honest, when I planned a cinema trip nearly 7 weeks after it’s release, I was surprised to see my local cinema was still playing it, I thought I’d missed it all together!  I too very nearly missed this one but luckily one of my local cinemas has over 30 screens so keeps movies on for longer than most...phew!

Before I try to write something that resembles a review however, let me first have a little cinema related rant. Yes, there was a group of kids/teens chatting or laughing at the back of the screen, to be honest, it was barely even audible. Certainly not enough to ruin the experience. What was annoying however, was the couple a few rows behind me shouting ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘Shut Up’ every 5 minutes. They started this charade during the trailers! I wanted to turn around and explain the irony, but I knew I’d only be adding to the problem. Chill out, crazy couple!  I can sympathise with both you and the couple, my Dad barely hears anything in the cinema but I can hear every whisper and it drives me bonkers, so I wold probably be the couple haha!  Although, I do try to cause less disruption with my annoyance than the actual disruption.

Anyway, The Martian (2015) is based on a novel of the same name written by Andy Weir. After a terrible storm kicks up on Mars, the Ares III crew are forced to evacuate, but during their escape, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is hit by debris and presumed dead. During the crew’s journey home to Earth, it is discovered that Mark is still alive on Mars, and so NASA must now perform the biggest rescue mission ever known.  Did anyone else think that maybe NASA wouldn't spend Millions probably Billions of Dollars to save one person?! (my Dads response to this comment was 'Well what else were they gonna do?' which I guess is kind of logical!)

Watching Mark figure out how to survive out on Mars for as long as possible was absolutely fascinating to watch, if not a little gross at times. We all know what fertilizer is of course, but ew. I will also never take a bottle of ketchup for granted ever again. I wasn’t expecting The Martian to be so funny, either. Not that it’s a comedy or anything, but this line in particular was hilarious: “In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option, I'm gonna have to science the shit out of this.”  My personal favourite was "I am the greatest Botanist on this planet".  The whole film had a real dry humour about it, it actually reminded me of typical British humour which felt great in a big Hollywood blockbuster!

Space movies aren’t my usual go-to movie of choice, and that’s mainly because I just don’t understand the science involved. For example, I felt like I enjoyed Interstellar, but man, I didn’t understand any of it. The Martian is different though. I got a little lost when the team at NASA were doing the calculations on how to rescue Mark, but for most of the time, I actually understood what was going on. Maybe that’s thanks to Mark himself for his crude and literal explanations of everything.

Although there were no crazy plot twists or dramatic love stories involved, I felt engaged from start to finish, although the run-time was a little long for a cinema trip for me. I need my pause breaks for long movies to get another cup of tea and a few biscuits! It was absolutely worth seeing this on the big screen though, the sets on Mars were simply stunning to look at.

I really loved this film, the humour helps to curb the sentimentality and moving from Watney surviving on his own, the rest of the Ares III crew on their ship and Houston keeps the pace of the film up really well.  In fact, when it ended I was so disappointed, I didn't want it to finish - I'm certain there is no requirement for a sequel but I will be keeping my fingers crossed!!

I should also mention the supporting cast, which contains quite a few big names and familiar faces. We don’t get to see much of them, but they keep the tension high and there’s a nice mix of series and comedic characters in there.  I loved Donald Glover, he's just cropping up everywhere at the minute, much to my delight!

The Martian will without a doubt be in my Top 10 for the year list, it was everything I hoped it would be. Now to make a start on that book!  Ditto!

Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Boom! Another summer blockbuster released and watched! I’m on fire this year, well on track to get my Showcase Blockbuster card fully stamped, and the free popcorn, drink and tickets will be mine! I had a full college-gang meet up for Ant-Man, meaning we took up almost a whole row at the back of the cinema. Thankfully we got in early enough so got our seats before the screen filled up!  Strangely enough, me and my Dad went on the same night but only took up 2 sad seat...those 2 sad seats were in the IMAX though....

Ant-Man is Marvel’s latest offering, and perhaps a bigger risk than Guardians of the Galaxy was last year. After watching The Avengers save the world and the Guardians of the Galaxy save...the galaxy(?!), how good could a superhero flick about a man the size of an ant be?! That's what have been wondering for the last few months. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is a recently released criminal trying to stay clean for the sake of his daughter. After being set up by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to steal the Ant-Man costume, Scott embarks on a new mission to keep the Yellowjacket developed by Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) safe from the wrong hands.  I, however, had every faith that this would be a hit, I knew it was a risk for Marvel but as with Guardians, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward!

Ant-Man was like a breath of fresh air to the superhero phenomenon. As buff as Scott was, he wasn’t there to beat up an army of bad guys to save the damsel in distress. He was a criminal simply trying to do the right thing for his family. The moral boundaries were iffy at best, and the main ‘bad guy’ was an ordinary, albeit extremely intelligent, guy, rather than an alien/monster/robot hellbent on destroying mankind.  I loved that for most of the movie Scott was the anti-hero, had no real interest in actually saving the world more interested in his own gains from being Ant-Man, getting his family to believe in him and visitation rights to his daughter, Cassie.

Some will most likely disagree with me, but I thought the first half an hour or so was very slow. There was enough comedy and smart one-liners to keep it interesting, and we got a lot of character development in that time which was necessary, but compared with the last half an hour, it paled in comparison. Luis (Michael Pena) was my absolute favourite character in that first part though, the way he explained his story was just hilarious and just as funny the second time he did it. I want to see more of this guy, he’s amazing!  Wasn't he amazing, he literally had me in stitches, everything he said set me into fits of giggles - I think I missed a chunk of the movie laughing long after his scene had finished!

The action scenes were so cleverly shot while Scott was in tiny Ant-Man form, but would have been nothing if it weren’t for the moments in between where we got to see what that action really looked like. We all must have looked like nutters laughing out loud at a little Thomas the Tank toy flop onto its side (this was by far my favourite bit of the trailer but was upstaged in the actual movie by the end of that scene!). I also loved the fact that Scott had to rely on his little army of ants to help him in his heist, they were fully part of his team.  I liked this a little bit less, I was itching all the way through the film, every time a hair touched my arm I thought there was an army of ants on me... *judders* - now I'm itching again just thinking about it!!  One thing I did really love was how reminiscent it was of Honey I shrunk the kid, which was one of my favourite films growing up (and the best part of Disney Hollywood Studios!!), Scott was calling his sidekick Antony but in my head he was Anty!

You know what! It's funny you mentioned Honey I Shrunk the Kids! I read earlier that Ant-Man has been in the making for about 20 years now, and it's original planned release was scrapped because Honey I Shrunk the Kids had just come out and everyone thought the two were too similar.

I knew I was going to enjoy this but I didn't realise quite how much.  I usually find the origin superhero films a little bit boring at the beginning but Paul Rudd's wit kept the whole thing ticking along (and also saved a few of those soppy moments that make you cringe a little bit...).  The action was great and the shifts between being Ant sized and human sized made every fight scene different from anything else in the Marvel universe so far. 

Question:  Did anyone else not realise Hayley Atwell was actually playing Peggy Carter until the link with the Avengers later on in the movie?! Or am I just a complete dunce!!  I couldn't understand why they had aged her up until I realised who she was, character-wise! doh!

Are we getting an Ant-Man 2? I really hope so! That mid-credits scene got me excited although I was expecting it to happen. At the very least I guess we’ll see Scott return for the next Avengers movie! Oh, and did anyone else get a little scared they’d missed Stan Lee? I was so relieved in the end!  I elbowed my Dad so hard in the ribs when I finally saw him he yelped in pain!! oops!

Loved loved loved it, hope there is an Ant-Man 2 but in the meantime hopefully we'll see Scott Lang elsewhere in the MCU.

Review: End of Watch (2012)

I'm not the cop film type to be honest, although I have been known to watch the occasional car chase on some obscure channel late at night when I haven't been able to sleep. End of Watch kept cropping up in some conversations however, and as I'm not type of chick to say no to a film, I thought why not!

End of Watch is what I guess to be your average cop film, but with a twist. It's all shot documentary style by Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal). It follows the daily lives of Brian and his work partner Mike (Peña) who are also best friends in real life. They end up getting in way over their heads with the local dangerous gangs after a lucky drugs bust.

I think The Day After Tomorrow was the first Jake Gyllenhaal film I saw, and that sparked off my first of what turned out to be many mild actor obsessions. Mild? I went straight onto the interwebs and purchased Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy and The Good Girl, on VHS if I remember right! As you can guess, no one needed to sell this film to me, and Jake in police uniform? Hi.



Exactly. Without my immediate bias, I really loved this film and it's completely changed my view on cop films, so if anyone has any suggestions of similar films, I'd be happy to hear them!

The bromance made this film what it is, and even though it's a drama/thriller, I laughed during End of Watch more from banter alone than some comedies in total. Gyllenhaal and Peña are an awesome duo! Just a short example below...

The camera work was really effective too, but there were a few continuity issues that made some scenes really quite confusing. However the ending made me forget any issues I may have had; it was so well done and I didn't see it coming at all!  Now I know there is a twist I want to watch it!! Honestly you need to! I was a bit 'meh' before watching it but I loved it!

If you love cop films anyway, then you should have already seen this. If you're not, give it a go, like I did! It won't be wasted time I promise you.



Review: Turbo (2013)

I've done a terrible thing. I told you all in my Best and Worst: Ryan Reynolds post that I'd seen every film Ryan Reynolds was in, and I hadn't! Technically I don't think this should count as it's just his voice in the film, but as me and Jenna were going through IMDB lists, I suddenly realised I hadn't seen Turbo yet. Netflix to the rescue! Really? I'm amazed, I remember you being so excited when it was announced.  I actually saw this on a flight to god knows where while it was on at the cinema in the UK.

 

 

It doesn't matter how old I get, I'll always be excited about animated films. I've always loved DreamWorks films, possibly more than Disney, but let's save that for a planned post we have for the future! WHAT?! This is definitely a discussion we need to have in the future!!

 

You can probably guess the story for Turbo without watching the trailer. Theo is an ordinary garden snail who dreams of winning the Indy 5000, a famous car race. He winds up in an accident which gives him nitros powers, essentially changing him from Theo into Turbo.

 

I'll be honest, the plot was incredibly obvious, but you have to remember that this is predominantly a kid's film; you shouldn't expect an Inception style plot! Nevermind the kids, you wouldn't understand it if they made it too complicated!! ;-) - Hey!! That said, the story is still enjoyable and you really do root for Turbo throughout the film. The other snails are perfect side characters too, and virtually everything that Samuel L Jackson's snail, Whiplash, says will make you laugh.  Agreed, I loved him!

 

There are plenty other famous voices in this too which you'll have fun trying to identify, especially the little old lady who runs the nail salon! I'll give you a hint - The Hangover! The cast of this is pretty incredible to be fair, if all these actors were in a live action film together it would have to be a must see!!

 

I really did enjoy this film even if it was missing the hidden 'just for adults' jokes that Shrek provides.  It was more for kids and less for adults with a liking for kids films.  The story as Allie said was predictable but you don't expect anything else and it is perfectly enjoyable (and ideally SFP!!).  The animation (as expected these days) is faultless and has your eyes glued to the screen even if the storyline doesn't.

 

If that's not enough for you, there's a great moment poking fun at how the internet just takes everything too far! 

 



 

All in all, a decent movie that your kids will love, even if you don't. Plus, at least now I really can say that I've seen every film Ryan Reynolds has been in!  Well done, quite an achievement!!

Enjoyable but for me a 'one watch wonder'