STACK February 2016 Issue 136

40 / 89

After being stranded on a planet
in another universe in Interstellar,
Matt Damon again finds himself
as an astronaut cast away, albeit
this time closer to home. Left
behind on the red planet after his
shipmates are forced to make
an emergency lift off, Damon
is faced with the predicament
of how he’s going to survive –
and more importantly, contact
NASA to arrange a rescue mission. It’s his optimistic
outlook, resourcefulness and determination to “science
the shit” out of his dilemma that makes The Martian
so damn entertaining. This is an atypical Ridley
Scott movie: the spectacle and detail is present and
correct, only this time there’s also a sense that the
director knows he’s making a big, crowd-pleasing sci-
fi blockbuster; it feels more like a Ron Howard film
than one from the man who gave us Alien and Blade
Runner. The Martian is more than just Robinson Crusoe
on Mars without the monkey – like Saving Private Ryan
it never lets us forget that “the mission is a man”.
A survival story that celebrates the endurance of the
human spirit without the obligatory spoonful of sugar,
it’s got all the right stuff. • See page 34
Cosmic cast away.
THE MARTIAN
Denis Villeneuve’s blistering
thriller actually manages to trump
Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-
winning Traffic as the best film
to date about the US war against
the Mexican drug cartels. Both
of them star Benicio del Toro,
although here he’s an enigmatic
Colombian known as Alejandro,
who’s part of a covert black ops
team led by a US government
official (Josh Brolin) to locate and
eliminate a key player in the drug
trade. FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited to
the task force and soon discovers the morally dubious
tactics that must be employed in order to strike a blow
in the war on drugs. From a grisly discovery in the US to
a nail-biting border crossing and chilling ride through the
mean streets of Juárez, Sicario cranks up the tension to
unbearable levels with ominous atmosphere and some
stunning cinematography that transforms Mexico into
an alien landscape fraught with menace. Del Toro gives
one of his best performances yet, and Blunt is perfect
as the viewer’s entry point into a dark and dangerous
world where only the brave dare to tread. In a word,
unmissable. • See page 30
The border is not the only line that’s crossed.
SICARIO
DVD & BD
Ares III: Farewell
The Right Stuff
Ares: Our Greatest Adventure
Leave Your Mark
Bring Him Home
Gag Reel
BD ONLY
Signal Acquired: Writing and
Direction
Occupy Mars: Casting and
Costumes
Ares III: Refocused
Production Image Gallery
JB HI-FI EXCLUSIVE
Limited Edition 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray
with Alternate Artwork
Interstellar
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: 10/02/16
Format:
BD ONLY
Stepping Into Darkness: The
Visual Design of Sicario
Blunt, Brolin and Benicio:
Portraying the Characters of
Sicario
Battle Zone: The Origins of
Sicario
A Pulse from the Desert: The
Score of Sicario
Traffic
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: OUT NOW
Format:
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Much of the research and
development for Prometheus was
used on this film, especially the
space suits.
DID YOU KNOW...
visit DVD&BD REVIEWS
40 FEBRUARY 2016
DVD&BD
The word “Sicario” derives
from the Latin word “Sicarius”,
meaning “dagger man”. The
term was used by Romans to
describe Jewish zealots who
killed Roman citizens using a
“sica” or small dagger hidden
in their cloaks. In Spanish, it
means ‘hitman’.
DID YOU KNOW...
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