sterile and airless as Mars

Rating: 4/10 (3 October 2015)

The more I watched this film, the more irritated I became.
First, there was the under-scoring, constantly nudging me, telling me what to feel: "Oh, look, this is cute; this is dangerous; wait, suspense coming up; how jolly; oh, isn't that cool?" etc., etc. There were only a few moments when I was left alone with the images and characters.
Then, there was Disco. The reason Disco music came and went so fast is that it's emotional range is so narrow. You'd think that with all of Music to plunder, the producers could have found something more expressive: jazz, swing, classical, hey, even folk would have given us more depth and range. But this is just another sign that this movie operates within very limited bounds..
It's so obvious it was written by a nerd: "Hey, how cool would it be to take all the problems that might come up in extra-terrestrial exploration and show in tedious detail how good I can be in solving them?"
The trouble is, that the people doing the solving are all, without exception, inhuman automatons.
Matt Damon at least has an advantage in that it can crack a few feeble jokes. All the rest, back on Earth and on the space craft, despite the p.c.-athon of all the sexes and races and ages and nationalities, come down to a single type of artificial intelligence: the ability to solve problems. Completely incapable of any emotion whatsoever: no tears, no laughter. All brain and no heart.
I started to feel very uneasy when the crew debated whether to turn around and rescue Damon. Any sign of reluctance? Of conflict? Any feeling at all? Nope; not a peep. Oh, yes, we'd be happy to "solve this problem." Evidently, the thought of spending another 2 years in space requires no pondering, no soul- searching; in other words, no sacrifice. And why would it? These are not humans, they are robots.
Oh, sure, we get a shot of the leader making a slight "moue" of regret, when she learns that Damon is alive after she left him to die. But does she lose any sleep, any self doubt? Not a bit; it's on to the next "solution."
(Maybe she should open a business and call it "Rescue Solutions.")
I felt emotionally boxed in again when Damon was reunited with his crew. Was there any questioning of motives, signs of team rivalry or sexual tensions? No,no recriminations, no resentment. Instead, it was all about superficial joy at having "solved" the problem. And why not; he was never in any real danger, was he? Because he was not really human.
Maybe this is film is for those who like detective stories, solving mysteries and reading riddles.
But, for me, there is nothing of the wonder and mystery of life, nothing of that riddling essence we call humanity.