#mantis thoughts

So first of all, really really cool movie, the fact that this exists at all, and is as good as it is is so damn cool.

The costuming and makeup is super well done, it gives the sci-fi feel without taking you out of the more grounded crammed feeling of the submarine.

The atmosphere the film builds inside the Lung is so oppressive and overpowering. Most of the films run time is spent building up this mythos, and the feeling of tension inside this metal coffin.

As others have been saying the first half of the film kind of drags, but I think that is kinda the point. I would still say it's a weakness of the film but if you know the game you are expecting this kind of feeling.

My other major complaint, is that the movie can be very very dark at some points. I get that is the point to a degree as well but there are extended periods where it's so dark you cannot tell what's happening at all.

Is it weird this movie kind of reminded me of Mark's playthrough of the game? Like the way Simon does the calculations, checks the orientation of the sub, it's all exactly the stuff you do in the game, and very realistic to how you would have to navigate under the conditions the game shows you.

I love how guilty Simon feels for irradiating his captors with the camera. It really gives us a view into his character. These people are sending him on a mission that could definitely kill him, in his situation most people probably wouldn't care much if they hurt the people keeping him there. Furthermore he was never told the camera was an X-ray, it seems illogical that he should feel any guilt at all. But he does, he's a very empathetic character.

I love the use of physicality, like how Simon uses the light from the cameras display as a light source, requiring him to repeatidly take photos to light up the dim corners of the Iron Lung. Or the way he uses the binder to keep the ship moving forward while he updates his map.

speaking of physicality, and ok not to be too gross here, but the scene where Simon takes off his shirt is really something

*ahem* ok back to actual analysis

I love the psychological elements of the film, the way Simon starts to lose it inside his metal box, what parts of that is his own mind failing him, what parts are, something else, influencing him

When the movie suddenly ratchets up the tension it always hits so hard. The reserved scoring of the rest of the film gives way to these intense layers of synth that lead up to fever pitches before abruptly cutting off to the usual occasional drones.

I think all the dialogue about what is fair, and what is worth dying for is all so interesting, I would have to watch it again to fully let it all sink in.

The ending is so so well done

The climax of the movie is so overwhelming and suffocating, it's the perfect send off.

The scene of Simon unwrapping his arms and peeling off his skin was genuinely gross, I loooove it

The way the blood like, grabs onto Simon is so awful and horrific, I loooove it

during the start of the climax where the blood starts pouring in I was thinking to myself "What would be the best ending for this film?"

is it better if Simon dies, and along with it the hope of the universe, showing that everything is truly hopeless and humanity will die in the dark?

or is it better if he lives, and the spark of human determination burns on, in spite of massive forces of nature that we are at the whims of?

The ending that happens is both.

Simon is dead, but he was able to safeguard the Blackbox, with that data humanity may have hope again, but every inch comes with sacrifice.

Ok so I have to preface this by saying that I very rarely cry, and almost never cry because of media I am watching

but fuck, the scene where Jax explains his life situation to Ribbit was the closest I got in a very long time.

I'm sure the debate on if Jax is trans is raging as I type but as a trans woman I have to say that the way Jax talked about the situation, intonation, the word choices, it felt very close to home.

The uncertainty, the shying away from saying the words out loud, the embarrassment when someone does something to try and affirm you, even though you do like it, holy shit I felt like I was being gripped directly through the screen.

It felt like if I had a worse support system, if my family was less accepting, I could have been Jax, deeply cynical, so many layers of irony and self hatred you can't tell who is actually under it all.

And like yeah, it was never said out loud that Jax is trans but the compilation of Jax set to "Isn't She Lovely" says quite a bit doesn't it?