Review of The Martian (2015) by Joekaz — 26 Jan 2016

After vocally rolling my eyes during many of the scenes in this movie - mainly toward the end, my wife said this to me: "Why are you okay with Michael Keaton having superpowers in "Birdman" - but you won't suspend your disbelief for Matt Damon having an easier time putting a tarp on a rocket more quickly than you can assemble a Lack table from IKEA?".

My answer sums up the difference. It sums up why "The Martian" is nowhere close to "Birdman." I said, "I don't mind when a filmmaker winks at the audience. Riggan was a down, almost out man, who needed all the help he could get. We (the audience) are in on it. None of the other characters in the movie are." In "The Martian," it seems as though all the characters were winking at each other, making the joke on us. Crowds of people gathering in Times Square to watch CNN (don't they have flat screens at home?) is an insult to the audience. I give "The Martian" a few points for being watchable and original - and it's a shame that there were so many moments where my intelligence was insulted. Moreover, with a few tweaks and edits, "The Martian" could have avoided these unnecessary scenes.