(This review may contain spoilers).
Just as a note – I haven’t read the book this movie is based on, so my review is primarily about the movie.
I was immediately interested in this movie when I saw it advertised in the first place. Even though I did think it dragged a bit in places, there was plenty of action that kept me focused and on the edge of my seat for a lot of the film.
Although I did have the opportunity to get to know many of the crew members through the course of this film, it was difficult to learn about them at the beginning. I felt there was a lot of potential for foreshadowing that was neglected. I actually had no idea what each of their roles were for quite a while.
I was kind of expecting this movie to be a disaster movie, so I was a bit surprised (pleasantly so) to see there was less violence than I’d been expecting. There were some very cringeworthy moments, such as when Mark was treating his own wound. I thought it was good to see how he was trying to survive… and the discussions of some of the problems he was facing were pretty tense.
I thought it was good to see the crew members talking to members of their family, though it would have been good to see the effects of what was going on with Mark’s parents. I did find myself chuckling at some of the scenes in the movie. I thought there were a few that worked to defuse the tension.
I did find it amusing to see ‘Project Elrond’ in a scene with Sean Bean, who of course was in the Lord of the Rings. I also recognised quite a few of the other actors (as well as Matt Damon) and I enjoyed not only the banter between the characters, but also the way they all cared about and supported each other.
There were some very tense scenes in this movie and I think it’s one I would enjoy watching again. It’s a little long and does drag in parts… but I found it engaging and it played on my emotions really well.
Ink of Blood 