the movieGOOMBA

3 GOOMBAS

"NanooooNanoooo!" shouted the man from outer space. "Welcome to Earth," yelled Will Smith after knocking out the slimy Forth of July alien. "Phone home" whispered the wide-eyed Extra Terrestrial as he pointed to the stars. Space themed movies are great backdrops for creative storytelling. Its a real place with real, endless imaginative possibilities where monstrous creatures, friendly beasts, time travel, and invisibility could exist. Throw my main man John Cusack into the mix, and you might get a decent film, if you're lucky.

However, Martian Child is more Earth-bound. A bit reminiscent of KPAX, Martian Child stars John Cusack, a lonely widower who writes best-selling, space-themed novels. He adopts Dennis, an isolated boy who believes he's from Mars, and while still dealing with his own tragedy, he takes on Dennis' in the hope that Dennis will feel at home for the first time.

This film lacks the typical plot build. It stays at a constant level, and was terribly anti-climatic. In my eyes, John Cusack is always amazing, but he and the Martian had very little chemistry. The writing is ordinary, and the characters are flat. There were some adorable scenes, like Dennis' Martian talk-dance, and Cusack brings a heroic quality to parenthood. But it was a movie that graduated out of Lifetime; possibly entertaining, given the right mood, but just average entertainment.

I'd leave the TV on if this movie were on TBS; maybe buy it on sale, but like most films without a significant plot climax, this film falls in the 3 GOOMBA realm. Martian Child, just okay.