The film follows the crew of the Ares III; a
team of astronauts who are ready to set back home after their mission to mars.
But just prior to leaving, a storm hits leading the crew to believe that one of
their members; botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon), was killed during the storm.
It isn’t until once the Ares III has departed that it is revealed Watney did in
fact survive the storm, and has now been left alone to fend for himself on the
deserted planet of Mars.
Every time there is a film that follows a
person on their own or stranded in a place without any other humans, there’s
always a risk that film’s narrative me be boring or not captivating enough for
the audience. There’s also a tremendous amount of pressure on whatever actor is
playing the title role, as they have to practically carry most of the film on
their own. In The Martian’s case,
that responsibility falls onto Matt Damon, along with screenwriter Drew Goddard
(Cabin in the Woods). Both Damon and
Goddard do a fantastic job at making Watney into an entertaining and relatable
character whose eyes we are able to see the film’s events through.
While it may have seemed like the film was
going to be two hours of Matt Damon alone on Mars, Scott keeps the audience’s
attention but constantly cutting back to what is taking place back on Earth.
Watney may be the most developed character in the film, but several other supporting
players get their time to shine, and are portrayed fantastically by some
familiar faces. Standouts include Jeff Daniels (Newsroom) as the NASA director, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) as the man in charge
of the Mars mission, and Sean Bean (Lord
of the Rings) as a fellow head employee for NASA. Every character
introduced in the film serves a purpose, and adds something extra to the flow
of the film’s story. The dialogue between these characters was especially
impressive, with some witty remarks reminiscent of that of Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network).
The soundtrack of the film was another
surprising standout, and really helped give the film its own identity. The
film’s score is definitely a lot more lighthearted than expected for a film
about a guy left alone on Mars. This actually suits the movie well, and is a
great reflection of Watney’s optimism throughout the story. There is also a
great amount of 70s music in the throughout, which is a running gag in film.
Those who are fans of disco music will really enjoy it, while those who aren’t
will feel Watney’s pain.
In this day and age where space adventure
films are a dime a dozen, and each film is trying to reach a further region of
space than the last, The Martian is a
breathe of fresh air. Everything about the film from its visuals and its
beautiful use of colors, the avoidance of clichés, down to the spectacular cast
that was assembled all really help it stand out from its predecessors in the
genre. The Martian is a return to
form for Ridley Scott, as well as another brilliantly acted film led by Matt
Damon himself, and is sure to be a contender for an Oscar in visual effects
next year. Those who are looking for a grounded space film that isn’t named Star Wars or Star Trek should look no further than this brilliant take on the
future of human space travel.
I give The Martian 4 out of 5 stars:
So have you see The Martian? What did you think of it? Let us know below!
