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Martian Child (2007) DVD Review
Martian Child (2007) DVD Credits:
Martian Child (2007) Directed by:
Menno Meyjes
Martian Child (2007) Written by:
Seth Bass, David Gerrold
Martian Child (2007) Cast:
John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Joan Cusack, Bobby Coleman, Sophie Okonedo, Oliver Platt
Martian Child (2007) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Martian Child (2007) DVD Release Date:
12th February 2008
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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Martian Child (2007) Synopsis:

The comic drama "Martian Child" stars John Cusack as a recently widowed science fiction writer who adopts a young boy that claims to be from Mars. But the new father ignores some sage advice about the perils of parenthood from his sister and gets more than he bargained for when a series of strange occurences lead him to believe the child's claim may be true.

Martian Child (2007) DVD Review:

John Cusack is immediately likable onscreen. This may be due to his non-threatening appearances, with cheeks that never seemed to lose their youthful baby-fat appearance, or perhaps in his soft-spoken manner. Whatever the reason for his likeable nature, Cusack has long been a regular in romantic comedies and feel-good films, continually bringing audiences back to witness another variation on his boom-box-holding Lloyd Dobbler from Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything. Surprisingly Martian Child seems to capture the spirit of the loved character of the past. After several unexpected roles in various psychological thrillers, Cusack has returned to the heartwarming qualities very similar to Dobbler’s way of life in Martian Child, this time tackling parenthood.

Complete with a familiar looking trench-coat and real-life sister Joan Cusack playing his onscreen sister as she did in Say Anything, Martian Child seems more than aware of the similarities and seems to wisely embrace them. Based on the award-winning short story by David Gerrold, The Martian Child was about the author’s experiences with an adopted child who believes he is from Mars. David (Cusack) is a successful science-fiction author, but he is also upsettingly lonely upon his wife’s death. The lonely widow decides that he should continue with the plans he and his wife had had in adoption. With the support of his quirky friend (Amanda Peet) and the skepticism of his sister, David decides to adopt a young boy who doesn’t really fit in.

There are some unnecessary and somewhat distracting sequences throughout the film, leading the audience back and forth in a question whether or not the young boy is telling the truth about his true origins. Sequences in which he can taste the color of M&Ms or seems able to change the traffic lights in his favor lead audiences into a rabbit-hole that take away from the deeper emotional issues taking place in each of the character’s lives. There is an awkwardness in the way that all of these characters interact with each other that is a delightfully honest approach. In return Martian Child is an engagingly touching film. Even though David is at first able to handle the peculiar habits of his new son, such as wearing a weight belt and refusing to eat anything other than Lucky Charms, it soon gets to the point where he doesn’t know what to do. There is truth in these scenes and the painful and delightful courtship between David and his loyal friend (Peet).

The DVD has a few wonderful featurettes, including an obviously touching one about the “Real Martian Child”, as well as a wonderful featurette about the delicate adaptation of this touching true story. There is also a suspicious audio commentary with a strange collection of producers and writers, as well as some deleted scenes.

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Martian Child (2007) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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