THE MARTIAN (2015)

Lintas Movie 21 - During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Review
Astronot Mark Watney diduga meninggal dalam badai besar di permukaan Mars dan ditinggal oleh teman-teman kru yang kembali ke bumi. Namun Mark selamat dan ia harus mencari cara untuk bertahap hidup. Sementara itu, NASA sedang mempersiapkan rencana untuk menyelamatkan Mark, dimana membutuhkan waktu berbulan-bulan. Maka dari itu, Mark harus menemukan cara untuk bercocok tanam di planet tandus, dan bertahan hidup sampai setidaknya misi penyelamatan tiba.

Sekali lagi, Matt Damon terdampar di planet tak berpenghuni. Meski kali ini Jessica Chastain ikut dalam penerbangan luar angkasa setelah berhasil memecahkan teori gravitasi, dan Benedict Wong selamat dari percobaan bunuh diri di Icarus dan memilih untuk melanjutkan karir di bumi. Anyway!

The Martian adalah film fiksi ilmiah yang sangat ringan dan menghibur. Total fun! Tampaknya Ridley Scott, the man who created Alien culture, belajar banyak dari Interstellar yang dikritik terlalu berat dan membosankan - khususnya bagi penonton secara umum. Segala macam hal sci-fi mulai dari botanical, astrodynamic, physics, sampai chemistry semua memang ada dan pasti akan memuaskan hasrat para sci-fi freaks diluar sana. Namun cerdasnya, Ridley Scott mengkomposisikan itu semua dengan sangat ringan lewat deretan lelucon, karakter Matt Watney yang menyenangkan, hingga komposisi lagu dance 80s.

Mungkin perkataan Matt Damon "I'm gonna have to science the shit out of this" di trailernya akan menancapkan image sci-fi dalam-dalam pada film ini. Apalagi penonton masih ingat benar bagaimana tingkat sains yang signifikan dalam dua film luar angkasa sebelumnya; Gravity dan Interstellar. Namun percayalah, dalam perlombaan film luar angkasa, The Martian jauh lebih ringan - dan menyenangkan - dibandingkan kedua film tersebut. Meski jalan ceritanya dapat diprediksi dan story arc-nya bukanlah hal baru, namun film ini menyajikan pengalaman sinematik yang brilian. Apalagi melihat bagaimana seorang astronot/botanist beraksi bagaikan melihat reinkarnasi Macgyver dalam pakaian luar angkasa.

Rasanya akan sulit untuk mengalahkan pengalaman berada di Mars yang digambarkan dalam The Martian. Setiap wide shot akan scenery berupan gurun dan bukit-bukit tandus berwarna merah sangat mencengangkan. Gabungan antara CGI dengan lokasi asli di sebuah gurun Yordania akan membuat anda craving for a bigger screen. Sebuah latar yang paradoks, antara keindahan tiada tara dengan berbahaya kondisi tak terduga dari planet merah tersebut.

Karakter Mark Watney sebagai satu-satunya manusia di planet Mars tersebut jelas sangat mencolok. Terutama dengan kepribadiannya yang tampak cukup mudah menemukan sisi lain - sisi lucu - dari tragedi yang sedang dialaminya. Jelas Matt Damon menjadi roda penggerak kisah yang disebut-sebut sebagai campuran antara Apollo 13 dan Cast Away ini. Karakternya sangat solid, baik di waktu ringan hingga momen-momen menegangkan. Belum lagi supporting cast yang juga nyaris sempurna. Mulai dari Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, hingga Kristen Wiig yang ternyata mampu bermain diluar skema komedi.

Details
Info: imdb.com/title/tt3659388/
Genres: Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Drew Goddard (screenplay), Andy Weir (book)
Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen WiigCountry: USA | UK
Language: English | Mandarin

Read more »

James Bond: Spectre (2015)

Lintas Movie 21 - A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
 

Review

Casino Royale and Skyfall are my two favorite Bond movies. Unoriginal I know, but whether you like Daniel Craig as Bond or not, you can't deny he has been an integral part of the series' highest points. Following the magnificent Skyfall, Spectre had some huge shoes to fill, and for the most part, it delivers exactly what you'd want. An attention-grabbing, tense opening fight scene, a lovely title sequence (whether the song is good is debatable), and an elaborate sinister plot surrounding James Bond that puts him up against his inner demons more than ever. Does it surpass Casino Royale or Skyfall? I don't think so, but as far as reintroducing the villainous organization SPECTRE into Bond canon after 40+ years, the film hits the nail on the head, pulls it back out, then slams it in even harder.

SPECTRE is revealed to have been affiliated with some of Bond's biggest threats - Mr. White, Le Chiffre, Raoul Silva - all under the control of one puppeteer, the head of SPECTRE and one of the most iconic villains of all time, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It isn't much of a spoiler, as speculation was rampant ever since the first trailer (and hell, when the name of the movie was released). What's important is its execution, and Spectre leaves breadcrumbs for you to follow all the way through the belly of the beast. Not only is Bond under SPECTRE's crosshairs, but MI6 itself is experiencing a merger led by Max Denbeigh (Andrew Scott) who wants to eliminate the 00 division and focus solely on global intelligence. It's apparent early on that Blofeld has eyes everywhere, and while he works primarily in the shadows (Christoph Waltz only having 20 or so minutes of screen time), he poses a looming threat to Bond because of his sheer cunning and a past secret that unravels itself when the two finally meet.

Many parts of the film feel like a throwback to classic Bond. The icy environments, the car chase and gadgetry, the use of a massive threatening henchman, a train fight that is heavily reminiscent of From Russia With Love, and of course the modern birthing of Bond's greatest adversary. The acting all around is fantastic, with Craig continuing to impress as the suave womanizing secret agent. Thomas Newman turns in another wonderful musical score. But perhaps the most impressive feature is Sam Mendes' directing. The shots in this movie are absolutely gorgeous - the action scenes are incredible to watch and easy to follow, the landscapes are fresh and vibrant, and even the simplest of scenes - Bond and Blofeld walking up to each other for the first time - are quietly introspective yet palpably tense. Tension lingers throughout every moment of Spectre even when not much is happening, and the suspense is high enough to hold your interest for the full 2-and-a-half hours.

Spectre is not perfect. Much of what happens narratively is predictable, and a few lines of dialogue don't go over too well, but that's just being nitpicky. What you want in a James Bond movie is over-the-top action surrounding the world's greatest spy who's up against unbeatable odds thanks to a brilliant charismatic villain, and this is precisely what Spectre delivers in spades. Daniel Craig may or may not return as Bond, and if he doesn't, this movie would serve as a perfect send-off. But as the series constantly reminds us, "James Bond will return...," and Spectre is just another chapter in the immense story of everybody's favorite super spy.

Details
Release Date: 6 November 2015 (Indonesia)
Info: imdb.com/title/tt2379713/
Ratings: 7,0/10 from 161.161
Genres: Action | Adventure | Thriller
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: John Logan (screenplay), Neal Purvis (screenplay) | 6 more credits »
Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux
Country: UK | USA

Read more »