Martian Child

Went to see Martian Child. Why? Good question. Partly because I wanted to see something light, and partly because the film was somewhat misrepresented in its trailer and ads as a comedy-drama/romantic comedy. At best, one could say it’s a dramedy. The romantic aspect is weak and barely developed; an awkward kiss about half-way through, and way before that, the love interest being introduced much too early. So there was no tension and no development. As for the comedy, tiny bits here ands there. Mere crumbs, really. The bowling scene, played up so prominently in the trailers, comes much too late, by which point it was too little too late.

A poorly directed film, with many scenes ending unsatisfactorily and with clear possibilities undeveloped. One amusing scene has John Cusack shopping for the boy and filling a shopping cart with boxes of Lucky Charms, the only food the boy will eat. But when we come to the end of the scene, when one would hope to get a shot of the shopping cart full of boxes of cereal, potentially a memorable image, we get them at the register, Cusack making a weak joke to the cashier: predictable and boring. In another scene, the boy wanders off into the woods and seems to connect oddly with nature, but Cusack is not there to share in what could have been an interesting moment, providing more possible proof the kid really is an alien. In the very next scene, Cusack says to the boy, “Let’s get out of here,” meaning, let’s get outside, but instead of using that to segue into the nature scene that just passed, they go to a barbeque at Cusack’s sisters’ house. Granted, the barbecue scene is important, but I just wish the director, Menno Meyjes, had had it come after an extended nature scene. In other words, the nature scene was, potentially, another wasted opportunity in a film filled with wasted opportunities.

Disappointing. OK as a diversion and generally engaging but weakened by its direction and ultimately not moving. A good movie for a screenwriter to watch, to mull over the missed opportunities and weak scene development.