THE MARTIANDirector: Ridley Scott
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: October 2, 2015
My Rating: 9/10
In all sincerity, I've been disappointed by the last few string of intergalactic sci-fi flicks that have been thrust full throttle onto the big screen in recent years. Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity (2013) was decent, with a great cast and splendid visuals, but not completely satisfying and dubiously realistic (not to mention an unsatisfying, grandiose ending). Clearly, The Academy loved it, since it snagged seven out of ten Oscars, including Best Director and Best Visual Effects.
Christopher Nolan's uber-lengthy space-set blockbuster Interstellar (2014) left me even more vastly disheartened, despite its equally stunning panorama of futuristic landscapes and special effects and A-list cast. (Also, far too much crying)
However, acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Prometheus) engenders a brilliant thrill ride in The Martian, which is based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel of the same name. The film revolves around Mark Watney (Damon), an astronaut who becomes stranded on Planet Mars after a dust storm strikes, which leads his five fellow crew members (Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie) to abandon him and return to Earth.
Using his wide array of skills as a botanist and engineer, as well as his morbid sense of humor, Watney learns to adapt to the desolate environment on Mars. He records video logs of his survival progress, which he eventually manages to send to NASA after an initial struggle to establish communication with them. Both his crew and NASA's top executives, among them Head Director Teddy Sanders (Daniels), Media Relations Director Annie Montrose (Wiig), and Mars lead mission director/engineer Vincent Kapoor (Ejiofor), scramble to employ ever resource and strategy available, including the assistance of China's National Space Association, to rescue Watney and return him home safely.
Matt Damon (my favorite actor of all time) is outstanding as the optimistic and somewhat snarky Mark Watney. Recalling his roles in the Bourne trilogy, The Adjustment Bureau and many other movies, Mr. Damon immerses himself completely in the role of this multi-talented man who traverses hell and back to reach his final destination. The rest of the star-studded cast also form a magnificent ensemble, with A-list Oscar-nominees Jessica Chastain portraying Melissa Lewis, the valiant and determined Commander of Watney's crew and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the cautious and brilliant Mars mission leader Vince Kapoor. Jeff Daniels channels the same vigor and nonsense-intolerance of his character from his hit HBO series The Newsroom, anchor Will McAvoy, to bring NASA Head Teddy Sanders to life.
Although the visuals of the red-tinged wasteland that is supposed to be Mars are fantastic, the film is not solely defined by them. The score and soundtrack are equally entertaining, particularly the latter. I haven't seen every major/classic space-set sci-fi movie in the history of film, but I'm willing to bet Bill Gates levels of money that this is the only one to include a setlist of mega-corny 70s disco tunes and other classic oldies, from Gloria Gaynor, to Donna Summer, to Gloria Estefan. If the thought of Matt Damon rebuilding a space vehicle while ABBA's "Waterloo" plays in the background doesn't appeal to you, then you can't possibly be a very happy person. Unfortunately, Train's "Drops of Jupiter" doesn't make the cut. Maybe in the sequel.
The script remains substantially true to Weir's novel, with a few minor details omitted, including much of the profanity uttered by characters like Watney and Annie, presumably to justify a PG-13 rating and attract younger audiences. The doses of humor, including Watney's complaints of going seven days without any ketchup for his meals, and his claims of colonizing Mars by being the first human to grow potatoes, with a smug "in you face, Neil Armstrong," to tack it off, keep you as engaged in the story as much as the protagonist is determined to return home safely.
All of these elements contribute to making The Martian a spectacular film that any viewers who remotely enjoy astronaut flicks will remember from beginning to end. Some scientists have claimed that the storyline is very unrealistic in certain respects, while Mr. Damon referred to it as 'science faction.' A few film buffs have described the film as a cross between Apollo 13 and Cast Away, although I believe that the film is meant to be much more. Should Mr. Scott decide to helm yet another upcoming sci-fi film with a similar cast and similar themes, I will be sure to look out for it. In the meantime, go see this film to find out if the the talented Mr. Watney does indeed survive.
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