Apollo 13, Anyone?

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2015)

The best thing about this movie was that I felt that I was watching a real life movie, ala Apollo 13 (but not as good). And maybe that is all it had to be. But a movie about unreal (or now, near real) stuff should be more. Esp one with a cast like this and as vast as this. It was suspenseful, but at some point you begin to realize, out of all the possible endings, how it is going to end, how it has to end, as more and more is revealed. And the actual very, very end is very poor. Fade to black would have been better. The only character really developed was Matt Damon, as he got to talk to himself a lot. But sadly, the others did not get to show their stuff. Sean Bean, a great actor, was like the Tin Man. Jeff Daniels has more range than this, although his role wasn't the most exciting; much could have been done with it. And I agree with another reviewer; the disco thing was WAY run into the ground. Subtle is always best... Of course the production values were all good, with a few exceptions, which is why i felt like I was watching a real life story, and it seemed, whether or not it is really true, like NASA was actually on their game here, although anyone to do with NASA is probably laughing their arses off at the errors. It is far less a sci-fi movie than a suspense, castaway, or rescue movie. I was hoping for a great sci-fi movie but it wasn't one, by any stretch, except for being set on Mars, which was no biggie as it was done so well and we've seen so many moon clips. The best sci-fi movies have heart, like Interstellar, 2001, Cloud Atlas, and The Fountain, (and The Martian cannot even be put in the same league as those; not even close) but this had little heart, beyond the task of trying to rescue the stranded guy. Would they, after spending SO much to get to Mars and put up a habitat, have risked so much and spent all that money to try, esp with the many obstacles? It did keep me in my seat and I did so very much want to see the outcome. So that is a big plus, but a lot of movies have that and a great movie it doesn't make. I know I am complaining about a lack of tried and true Hollywood plot devices, but sometimes there is a need for them (never thought I'd say that!). Even Castaway worked on so many better levels than this. I kept hoping there would be some of that here, but it was The Right Stuff on fast forward, without the characters. That movie really is the gold standard for movies like this (also Apollo 13) and this one just didn't quite make it, alas.