The Worst Film Ever

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Loved the story, nice to see something a bit different with a good twist which I must admit was fairly easy to predict. Really well acted and excellent direction. Will we watch it again, absolutely, great family entertainment.

Indeed, to the science savvy viewer, this one has more scientific problems than most films of this genre. And there are many, as pointed out by many.However, this is a fun and entertaining film. Yeah, most of us know that Mars is ~140M miles away and that it takes six months to get there. And that real time communication is just not yet possible. But the launch sequences and subsequent journey to orbit are fun to watch. Almost as good as the launch sequence in Apollo 13. And for the love of all that is holy, a note to all science fiction writers: There is no such thing as zero gravity. Anywhere in the universe. So, put your scientific knowledge in the closet for this one, and sit back and enjoy the ride.

16 year old Gardner finally gets to visit Earth, having been born on Mars. He has two things in sight: finding his father, and meeting up with Tulsa, a secret internet friend who thinks he is housebound in New York. But Gardner's heart may not be able to stand up to Earth's gravity.I have to start by saying that this film is rather obvious. The science fiction, the teen romance, the search for his father, the suspense over Gardner's health - this is all stuff we have seen before and, to that extent, the film holds no real surprises. There are some welcome plot wrinkles which are not signalled in the trailer, but they are not especially surprising.This doesn't really matter, though. The story is a mixture of fish-out-of-water humour, teen romance, and mild suspense, set in a science fiction/real life scenario, and featuring engaging performances from Britt Robertson and the always watchable Asa Butterfield. There is excellent support from Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino.The film is also attractive to look at - there is some beautiful cinematography, and the effects are first rate - Mars is as visually stunning (and believable) as the Earthbound locations.The script is entertaining, with full and workable backstories where relevant and necessary: fleshing out the characters adds immensely to the emotional heft of the film. There is a single huge factual goof whereby internet and video communication with Mars is instantaneous rather than subject to delays, but perhaps technology has moved on, eh?The important thing is that these two young individuals become people we care about. We want to see them falling in love even though we know that this will lead, inevitably, to great sadness whatever the outcome, yet we hope against hope that the story will pull some sort of last-minute reprieve out of a magician's hat. It's not my place to say whether that happens or not.I can only say that I very much enjoyed the telling of an obvious story, and there were a number of moments when my eyes filled, soppy old sod that I am.

Touching story, beautifully delivered. Love that he kept asking, "what is your favorite thing about earth?"