2015 vs. 1953

Rating: 7/10 (24 October 2016)

If you are either a cinema enthusiast in general or just a science fiction flicks fan, and somehow was able to sit through the entirety of "Project Moon Base" (1953) telling a story about an orbital survey mission changing into unplanned Moon landing, you can come to this conclusion: there are just light years of filmmaking between similar themed 1953 and 2015 movies. That first one does not get even the basic science elements right and has naively stupid and childish script, resulting in a picture just doomed to not withstand the test of time; while the newer "The Martian" is both so accurate / logical as a non-documentary feature can be and is technically at the highest levels
Unfortunately that great distance shrinks noticeably in the middle of this newer movie, when the first part of the absolutely thrilling and entertaining Robinson "The Martian" Crusoe hits the scene of kindergarten-like pandering to the Chinese audience. (Because let us Hollywood executives and investors do not forget, that our beloved comrades on Mainland China have more cinemas than we here have in The-US-Of-A-Land and that only thirty something foreign titles per year get a full distribution in China). It slowly but inevitably shifts from an excellent survival drama with educational values to a mediocre drama with more adventure driven orientation, sticking mostly to the entertainment side. Practically it is no longer a drama but a tragedy- a tragedy of a downfall from a possible 10 / 10 picture to a flick with a score of only 6-7 / 10. For example they start to put all those "classic" (boring) songs, and not just in fragments. Why, just why did they use the excellent "All Along The Watchtower" by Jimmy Hendrix in the trailer (and for that purpose even creatively remixed it a little), but in the movie itself they took the path of least resistance of using that kitschy "Starman" by David Bowie (and in its entirety)?
And that final rescue attempt, with more and more layers of obstacles? Were those space cowboy stunts really conceived some time before 2015 and not in 1953?