|
Post by cahvaydweller on May 27, 2015 9:02:12 GMT -5
I just saw it for the first time yesterday and I kinda get where the naysayers are coming from now. It had a few chuckles here and there, but overall...meh. One thing that I don't think has been addressed yet is the use of harsh language that was unbleeped. I thought it was weird that there was no censorship in this episode (which I'm not complaining about, don't get me wrong) when if you go back one season, the language in Pod People was censored from start to finish. Also, I didn't like how J&TB kept calling attention to the cursing; that made me more uncomfortable that the actual language.
|
|
|
Post by brandonakaxerxes on May 27, 2015 10:50:59 GMT -5
I find the acting kinda so-so. There's a lot of "dull surprise" moments where there shouldn't be. Like, when the Russian astronaut attempts to save one of the other astronauts (I think Hackman's character), he misses, and instead of having an expression like, "Oh sh**!", he instead just kind of has this look like, "Oops. Missed him. Oh well, sucks to be him.") How are you supposed to take a performance like that seriously? It's an unintentionally humorous moment during what's supposed to be dramatic and suspenseful. Rule of thumb: When you show less emotion or expression than Kristen Stewart, you are a terrible actor (or at least there's a bad director on board).
A lot of people compare this film to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I personally think that's an insult to 2001. Yeah 2001 is kinda slow too, but it DOES pick up halfway through, while "Marooned", there's never any sense of excitement, even when there should be. Something as horrendous as astronauts' lives being in jeopardy is presented as leisurely as a snail race.
If you want to see a GOOD "astronauts in life-threatening situation in space", watch 'Apollo 13' (even if that one is based on true events, it's still a better film).
|
|
|
Post by Mike Flugennock on May 28, 2015 19:17:03 GMT -5
A lot of people compare this film to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I personally think that's an insult to 2001. Yeah 2001 is kinda slow too, but it DOES pick up halfway through, while "Marooned", there's never any sense of excitement, even when there should be. Something as horrendous as astronauts' lives being in jeopardy is presented as leisurely as a snail race. If you want to see a GOOD "astronauts in life-threatening situation in space", watch 'Apollo 13' (even if that one is based on true events, it's still a better film). Like Marooned, I saw 2001 several times at different points in my life: as a pre-teen when it first came out, and again early in college, and then again in the late '90s when the 30th anniversary digitally-remastered reissue came out (not to mention all the times when it was on TCM). The difference was that unlike Marooned, each time I saw 2001 it reaffirmed my reaction as a 12 year-old: Whoa, man! This is made of awesome! 2001 never seemed slow to me because I was so totally absorbed by its visual richness that I didn't really notice the pacing. As I got older and became a more savvy film viewer, I noticed the "slowness" in the flight-to-Jupiter scenes and had no problem with it, as I knew that a trip to Jupiter -- even aboard a ship as advanced as the Discovery -- would take over a year at least, and when you're on an interplanetary mission lasting that long, there's going to be long stretches where not a lot happens except tending the ship and waiting around to get to your destination so, yeah, I can see where flying to Jupiter could be a long, slow grind... but when things start happening, man, they really happen fast. You're right on about Apollo 13, though -- as a space thriller more-or-less equivalent to Marooned, it stands head and shoulders above it. Putting aside for a moment the fact that I was a young teenager when Apollo 13 launched and pretty much "lived" that story via TV and the papers, Apollo 13 -- as a film -- tells the story of that week beautifully, conveying and recreating all the excitement, tension and anxiety many of us felt while watching the drama unfold from afar on Earth. Apollo 13 pushes all the right buttons at all the right times; even though you know the ending ahead of time, and that it's happy, you still can't help feeling anxious, excited, fearful, and relieved as the film progresses. Marooned, on the other hand, misses every opportunity to push any buttons at all. That scene at the end, where Mission Control erupts in wild jubilation while the devestated widow of the mission commander is still sitting in the VIP gallery, really bugs me, too.
|
|
|
Post by Monophylos on May 29, 2015 10:07:51 GMT -5
I remember this episode for one thing: the searing moment when Joel, while his 'bots are breezily discussing how they'd have no problem in leaving Joel to die in space, turns to the camera and says, "I'm already alone, aren't I?" Can even be interpreted as a hint that Joel's friends aren't real, if you like the "Joel is hallucinating everything" reading of the show.
|
|
|
Post by fathermushroom on Jun 4, 2015 22:08:14 GMT -5
I agree with those who say it's just dull, dull, dull--my GOD it's dull! It's just so dull and dreary and tedious and boring and desperately, desperately DULL.
|
|
|
Post by kmorgan on Jun 5, 2015 19:42:42 GMT -5
Personally, I think "Marooned" is OK, both MSTed and unMSTed. It's pretty slow, and there are some plot points that I don't much like, but it at least tries for a bit of realism in terms of space travel. And it does have a good cast.
For the full experience, read both versions of Martin Caidin's original novel, the original from 1964 and the movie tie-in from 1970. Both greatly expand the story and characters.
|
|