THE MARTIAN
***1/2 (out of four)
DIRECTED BY Ridley Scott
STARS Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain
Matt Damon plays the title character — not a Martian per se, but an Earthling who becomes stranded on the planet after his team mistakenly believes him to have been killed in a freak accident. While his fellow astronauts, a dedicated group led by expedition captain Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), hurtle back toward Earth — a journey that will take many months — Damon’s Mark Watney calmly assesses his situation and determines that if he can sufficiently secure the man-built outpost on the Mars surface and if he can not only ration his food but also grow some more, he might be able to survive long enough until the next U.S. rocket comes visiting in a couple years time. Or maybe not even that long, once the NASA suits realize that he’s in fact not dead (as reported by Lewis) and is very much alive. With NASA engineer Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) taking the lead, agency head Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) exploring every option, and p.r. rep Annie Montrose (Kristen Wiig) waiting for instructions on how to handle the media, everyone becomes committed to bringing Mark back home.
Andy Weir’s novel has been adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, TV’s Alias), and the film’s strength largely derives from the characterization of Mark Watney. As expertly brought to life by Damon, he’s easy to like and even easier to admire, as he employs his sense of humor to take the edge off his dire predicament, thus allowing him to rationally face challenges one step at a time. Yet despite Damon’s star billing and his face looming large — and alone — on the poster, this is hardly a one-man show like Cast Away (or a one-woman show like Gravity). Instead, the picture frequently cuts away from Watney, not only to focus on the various earthbound players as they argue, compromise and coordinate but also to check in on Watney’s fellow space travellers and get their take on the situation. Not surprisingly, everyone comes to the same conclusion: Like Damon’s Private Ryan, Damon’s Mark Watney is worth saving. The Martian, then, represents that other type of inspirational drama, one that moves us not through oversized action but through understated intelligence.
This article appears in Best of Charlotte 2015.
I enjoyed the movie but the book was much better. Most of the casting was very good except for Jessica Chastain. She was weak and boring in this role.
Great movie. As a Baby Boomer, I hope live long enough to see a Mars landing.
Warp speed NASA
You have to be kidding me. Interstellar was one of the greatest movies ever made and yet you say it is worse than both The Martian and Gravity even though the scope of the movie is enormous. The films cover entirely different topics, but yet you seem to wish to sensationalize the topic at hand, which is whether The Martian is a good movie. I liked all of the movies, but Interstellar is by far the best without a shadow of a doubt. Even if you don’t agree with me, the movies are not comparable. You are truly a delusional writer.
Thanks for writing, fanboy123. I liked Interstellar, but calling it one of the greatest movies EVER MADE (really? Up there with Citizen Kane, Modern Times, The Seventh Seal, Rashomon, The Maltese Falcon, etc.?) makes me believe your viewing habits are mostly limited to films released in the last 20 or so years. And explain to me how comparing movies from the same genre is “sensationaliz(ing) the topic”?
There is no understated intelligence. I don’t think it’s possible to dumb a movie down anymore than they did with this. Those who think this is a really good movie have to be the same morons that literally laugh out loud at some of the worst jokes and one-liners ever used. The type that don’t get out much, don’t get sarcasm, are easily offended so G rated humor only, and need a narrator to explain everything (in this case it’s Matt Damon’s video log). 2+ hours of watching potatoes grow on Mars and scientists & engineers on Earth solve complex problems without ever talking beyond a 3rd grade level of intellect.
It was a really good film, but I personally found Gravity to be better. It delivered far more when it came to both emotion and action. I got fed up with the pacing of the plot (in The Martian). I think they could have started it possibly from somewhere in the middle and we could have been told beginning of the plot through flashbacks, recordings, news stories, conversations on Earth, etc. it might have been cool if we entered the story as he was traveling in the rover to the crater and we learned piece-by-piece how he got there and what he was doing just so the story didn’t drag on so much. That isn’t always popular with viewers so I get why they went with a more clearer plot structure. Another thing is that the connections between the crew, the commander and Mark didn’t feel sincere or real. Constant, lighthearted teasing does not equal the total commitment, trust and closeness that was being translated through their actions. It seemed really forced to me. I also didn’t understand the motivations behind Terry, the NASA director. At first he seemed like he was the clear “villain” in the story and that he would cause a real obstacle to Mark’s rescue, but his influence on the plot really thinned as the movie went on and he faded to almost a background character. I know, I know, he delayed communication with the crew about Mark and canceled the inspections on the provision pod but my point is he was set up to be an antagonist and he ended up almost like a stern but somewhat well-meaning principal who can’t control these crazy kids from following their hearts. Anyways, I did really like the film and I’d love to re-watch it at home so I can relax in soft pillows and take stretching breaks, cause it’s one long-ass movie, but in my opinion I don’t think it was as impactful and as well-done as Gravity.