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davidahallnum5
May 108 min read

The Martian 3D Blu-ray

MOVIE REVIEW

The Martian is a 2015 sci-fi survival film about an astronaut called Mark Watney on Mars. After he and his crew get hit with a storm and are forced to leave the planet, Mark gets hit with a piece of debris and is presumed dead while his colleagues leave him behind for their own safety. Unbeknownst to them, however, is that Mark is still alive and has made it back to base. Now, stuck to his own resources, Mark must use the materials to his disposal, and botany skills, to not only make contact with NASA, but also survive long enough for them to reach him.

This is the rare type of movie that we are missing from today's moviegoing environment. It seems most everything coming out nowadays can't make it through production without being tied to some sort of brand, and without being completely brainless. While we do still get the occasional Oppenheimer, most movies that hits the market these days just bank off their recognizability rather than their quality of storytelling. And as a result, they seldom even try with the latter. That really hurts, especially when you look back just nine years ago when films like The Martian still came around and proved that you could have a big-budget blockbuster that can use its brain and deliver a worthwhile cinematic experience.

The Martian has numerous things working in its favor, but probably one of its most unique elements that stuck out to me would have to be how, despite this being a fictional story of a guy on Mars, it manages to have almost a true-story "Apollo 13" type feel to it. And I guess part of that would have to be how surprisingly grounded it keeps itself. The film does sometimes have to create its own rules, of which there are a lot here. But it builds a lot of its scientific mumbo jumbo on stuff from the real world. Because of that, not only does it feel education in a sense, but it also makes the story feel somewhat plausible. And that in turn, the film becomes all that more engaging, and more suspenseful. True, there are a few parts where you might have to raise your suspension of disbelief a bit. But for the most part, everything here seems surprisingly believable and intelligently crafted. Usually in survival films like this, they'll throw in some crazy curveball that either makes the hero's journey more difficult or more easy. When pairing that with a sci-fi film, pulling this off in a manner that won't make the audience wince is not an easy task. But by sticking to its rules the way The Martian does, viewers here find themselves on the edge of their seat.

From an intellectual side, The Martian succeeds. And you'll be happy to hear that from all other aspects, though, it gets pretty much everything right. The Martian environment is beautifully shot and composed, the characters are all likable and sometimes fun, there's a nice comedic element to it that helps relieve some of the tension, and there's even a good amount of heart that finds the perfect balance this movie needs between being fully stoic and melodramatic. I've seen films these days stumble at trying to be funny when they clearly shouldn't be. But with The Martian, the characters are built up in such a natural way that when we the characters doing something a little funny, it's all the more enduring. Once again, it goes back to how this film sets itself up to be believable. In that spirit, the characters follow the same pattern, resulting in people that help to drive the movie excellently. The Martian is also impeccably paced. So despite the detail heavy story, never does a minute of the film feel wasted. The film keeps you gripped from beginning to end, such to the degree that the two and a half hour runtime honestly flies by faster than you would expect.

This movie might have stylized-looking surface, but beneath it is a expertly thought-through and executed survival tale. While films like Avatar might relish in their beautiful visuals and the latest Marvel film might be a continuation of the MCU, I believe simple stories like these stand the test of time the best. They resonate with human nature and hold us captive the whole way through. And The Martian does that while also feeling like a unique experience, reframing what we know about space science in a new light and creating an engaging story as a result. The way creativity and intellect marry in this film is simply unbelievable, yet it's seems almost effortless. I recommend this movie not only to the casual viewer looking for some great escapism, but also to people working within Hollywood so they can realize just how much a brain can help their big-budget blockbusters soar high above the barren wasteland that is the modern cinematic landscape.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4.5/5


3D REVIEW

The Martian may be a survival tale at heart, but it still takes place on Mars, which makes it an interesting, but still solid choice for a 3D movie. Personally, I wasn't expecting too much from this release. But the 3D proved me wrong, and once again showed me why 3D and space will always be a match made in heaven (literally). There might not be anything here on the level of Gravity, but what we get here is still nothing to wince at.

At one point in the movie, Mark Watney is talking with the crew about Mars and says, "Every day, I go outside and look at the vast horizons." That line probably encapsulates one of the 3D's biggest strengths: it turns Mars into an enormous landscape. Yes, there's many shots where you can look on for miles on Mars's surface, look into the dust covered skies, and even in smaller cases, get lost into all the bumps and crevasses on Mars's rocky surface. In storms, the debris, dirt, and clouds all stick out in 3D space. And there are even some great overhead shots that capture Mars in all its 3D glory.

But even that aside, the 3D also brings plenty of smaller details related to space travel that not only mesmerizes in the third dimension, but also come off as immersive at times. On an intimate scale, there are some neat shots where someone's space helmet will have a reflection on it that gives it a sense of 3D space. Spaceships and structures like tunnels sometimes have a cylinder design, making it feel like you're looking down a tube. There are quite a few interesting out-the-window shots, especially on the Hermes where you can look out onto the surface of Mars or just out into space as the spaceship is spinning, In fact, there's even quite a few exterior shots that pan the Hermes that remind me a lot like something out of Gravity. When spaceships take off, the camera gives us a couple great instances of top-down shots that place us beside the smoke, reminding me again how much of a shame it is they haven't given WALL-E a 3D conversion yet. Even indoors, such as in places like the rover or Mark's potato garden, there's a sense of discernible space that not only gives the room feel, but also sometimes a little claustrophobia. The movie also does an interesting technique when the film switches over to Mark's video journal where the actual footage remains flat, but the words on the side of the screen stick out a good ways. There is actually one scene in particular where this sticks out, and it's when Mark is doing his video and the camera slowly zooms into the center of the footage while the words float off the screen.

The Martian, being a serious survival tale, doesn't exactly try to "wow" us with gimmicks. But it does put a few things past the screen that make the 3D seem real worth it. The storm at the beginning with dirt and dust flying around is a highlight, of course. But even throughout the film, we get moments with space helmets, the surface of Mars protruding the screen, various pieces of equipment, and even occasional debris. Probably one of the biggest moments where pop outs add to the visual arrest of the scene would have to be in the climax which I won't spoil, but I will say it involves plenty of small flying objects, tether, and a noticeable distance between the characters that once again reminds me of Gravity.

When the 3D is in these areas of the film, it absolutely pops. When it's on Earth, though, the 3D does cease to impress a tad. It's by no means bad. Everyone still stands in proper 3D space, everyone looks right, and there are even some places where the 3D adds to the shot such as with the large size and many chairs of mission control and with the many people in a press conference. But besides that, though, the 3D isn't really given too much to do. And because of that, I'd say there's around 60% of the film where the 3D comes off as a little unnecessary. The movie is not hindered from a story standpoint because of the 3D. But in a way, it kinda makes me think the 3D could've been integrated into the film better if the movie went into 2D when it was on earth and back again into 3D when it was on Mars or space. As is, though, the 3D we do get will still more than satisfy. But the product on the whole gets a little weighed down by the areas on earth.

Still, whenever we're in space, the 3D definitely makes the film a mesmerizing watch. The Martian is a movie that may not relish in its visual flair the same way something like Avatar would. But the presence of visual flair still helps make the story stand out and engage your eyes as well as your brain. And because of that, the 3D is highly recommended for this movie. Does the film in any way need the 3D to be experienced to the fullest? No. The 2D version still gets along fine. And I'll be honest, in many of the smaller scale scenes, I even forgot the 3D was there. But even with that, in the areas where the 3D works, the 3D really works. So on the whole, The Martian still gets a 3D rating of "great," and I'll say its a must-buy for anyone who really loves 3D space movies.


P.S. The grounded nature of the film reminds me once again why I want to see Apollo 13 get a 3D conversion.


3D RATING: GREAT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D






FINAL THOUGHTS


The Martian is a film that honestly gets me a little mad at modern Hollywood. While its story might not be quite as simple or deceptively deep as that of Gravity (gee, I'm referencing Gravity more times than I anticipated in this review), it still keeps itself pretty dang focused and engaging throughout. Even with all its technical detail, it still manages to keep you hooked. It builds so much off of such a simple premise that it makes me wonder where the movie industry ultimately decided that smarts and good, memorable characters don't mesh well with big-budget blockbuster entertainment. As far as the rest of us are concerned, films like The Martian don't just offer short-term joy, but also last well beyond their time. If you haven't checked it out yet, I encourage you to do so. It really is that good. And if you haven't seen it in a while, do yourself a favor and re-watch it and remember just how effective it is. And as niche as 3D is nowadays, I still say its the preferred way to watch The Martian. It brings the immense, yet barren, vast yet claustrophobic world Mark Watney has to navigate into a brand new light. Subtle, sure. Unnecessary at times, you could say that. And true, there aren't really any shots in here that I'd say demand 3D. But still, all the minor touches 3D adds to the picture makes it a different, and slightly better, experience than the 2D version. Once again, The Martian serves as yet another example of how naturally space and 3D work well together.


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