Year: 2015
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, and Sebastian Stan
Tagline: Bring Him Home
Synopsis: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed killed in a storm and is left behind. Watney must figure out how to survive while NASA figures out how to rescue him.
Tagline: Bring Him Home
Synopsis: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed killed in a storm and is left behind. Watney must figure out how to survive while NASA figures out how to rescue him.
Review
First off: no, I have not read the book. So I can't compare the two. But I can say that The Martian is a fantastic movie that I recommend, whether you have read the book or not.
The two strongest selling points for the film are the story and the main character. While the basic plot is straightforward -- a man gets stranded in a desolate place and must learn to survive until he can be rescued -- the plot still feels fresh. This is Cast Away ... but on Mars. Mars. Freezing cold. Air you can't breath. No water. No food. The stakes are so much higher, which means Watney has to rely on more than just survival instincts. He has to use all his ingenuity and scientific/engineering know-how to keep himself alive and produce what he needs.
What really helps the story is how grounded in reality it is. Sure, the film (and the book) took some scientific liberties for the sake of a compelling story. But so much of the story is rooted in actual science. The film might be described as a two-hour recruitment ad for engineering and botany.
Mark Watney is also a terrific character. Despite his situation and setback after setback, he maintains a positive attitude. He simply refuses to give up or feel sorry for himself. Everything that happens is just one more problem to solve. To keep himself sane, he uses video logs to document his time on Mars. Basically it feels like he's narrating his own story to the audience, which works really well. It keeps him up close and personal, allowing his humor and unflagging optimism to drive the film.
You might expect The Martian to be a serious drama. It certainly has lots of drama and is a gripping story from start to finish. But it is also a very humorous film. It doesn't go out of its way to be funny. This isn't trying to be a comedy. The humor comes as a natural outgrowth of the characters, primarily Watney. Rather than get discouraged, he sees the humor in (most) every situation. It helps him keep his sanity and lightens the tension of the film.
While this is primarily Mark Watney/Matt Damon's film, the rest of the cast do an outstanding job as well. I especially liked Commander Lewis, as portrayed by Jessica Chastain. The film mirrors the story. Watney/Damon does his part, but it is all the other characters/actors coming together to do their parts that leads to a rescue/film being possible.
One other thing that stood out in The Martian is the visual look of the film. Obviously, filming on location wouldn't work out so well and wasn't within the budget. But to look at the finished product, you might think they really did set up filming on Mars. The country of Jordan was the actual stand-in, with some CGI assistance. The Hermes -- the spacecraft used to take the crew between Earth and Mars -- is also a beautiful set. I also liked the use of Watney's video logs to show/tell most of his experience. It's visually different and pulls the audience in.
As much as I enjoyed the film, I should mention a few caveats. The chiefest of which is swearing. I've heard the book swears quite a bit. The film keeps the swearing within PG-13 boundaries. There are two explicit f-words and a handful of implied ones. The s-word is also used a number of times. I wish they'd found a better way to express themselves. While there is no violence, there is a scene where Watney is injured and must tend to his own wound. If you are squeamish, that might be a good time to take interest in that bit of spilled popcorn on the floor. There is also a bare backside shot which is used to establish how much weight Watney has lost during his ordeal. Again, there were probably other ways to show that.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Martian. It is one of the most well-crafted films and gripping stories I've seen in quite a while. It's a movie about the triumph of optimism, ingenuity, and persistence. Botany has never seemed so cool.
*** Spoiler Section ***
One of the most humorous parts of the film (for me) was watching Sean Bean's character explaining about the Council of Elrond after another character is confused about "Project Elrond." Sean Bean portrays Boromir, who is of course present at the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring. I was really hoping he'd follow up with something along the lines of: "One does not simply slingshot to Mars." Alas. Missed nerd opportunity.
The other part I chuckled heartily at was Watney explaining how Mars is technically under maritime law. So when he commandeers a vehicle/vessel without permission, that makes him a pirate. Mark Watney: Space Pirate.
Apparently the book ends with Watney being rescued and pulled aboard the Hermes. I thought the film's addition of an epilogue worked quite well. As a viewer, I wanted to know how Watney dealt with what he'd been through. And I was curious about the repercussions the crew would face after their mutiny. Putting it against the backdrop of the next Ares mission worked well.
The two strongest selling points for the film are the story and the main character. While the basic plot is straightforward -- a man gets stranded in a desolate place and must learn to survive until he can be rescued -- the plot still feels fresh. This is Cast Away ... but on Mars. Mars. Freezing cold. Air you can't breath. No water. No food. The stakes are so much higher, which means Watney has to rely on more than just survival instincts. He has to use all his ingenuity and scientific/engineering know-how to keep himself alive and produce what he needs.
What really helps the story is how grounded in reality it is. Sure, the film (and the book) took some scientific liberties for the sake of a compelling story. But so much of the story is rooted in actual science. The film might be described as a two-hour recruitment ad for engineering and botany.
Mark Watney is also a terrific character. Despite his situation and setback after setback, he maintains a positive attitude. He simply refuses to give up or feel sorry for himself. Everything that happens is just one more problem to solve. To keep himself sane, he uses video logs to document his time on Mars. Basically it feels like he's narrating his own story to the audience, which works really well. It keeps him up close and personal, allowing his humor and unflagging optimism to drive the film.
You might expect The Martian to be a serious drama. It certainly has lots of drama and is a gripping story from start to finish. But it is also a very humorous film. It doesn't go out of its way to be funny. This isn't trying to be a comedy. The humor comes as a natural outgrowth of the characters, primarily Watney. Rather than get discouraged, he sees the humor in (most) every situation. It helps him keep his sanity and lightens the tension of the film.
While this is primarily Mark Watney/Matt Damon's film, the rest of the cast do an outstanding job as well. I especially liked Commander Lewis, as portrayed by Jessica Chastain. The film mirrors the story. Watney/Damon does his part, but it is all the other characters/actors coming together to do their parts that leads to a rescue/film being possible.
One other thing that stood out in The Martian is the visual look of the film. Obviously, filming on location wouldn't work out so well and wasn't within the budget. But to look at the finished product, you might think they really did set up filming on Mars. The country of Jordan was the actual stand-in, with some CGI assistance. The Hermes -- the spacecraft used to take the crew between Earth and Mars -- is also a beautiful set. I also liked the use of Watney's video logs to show/tell most of his experience. It's visually different and pulls the audience in.
As much as I enjoyed the film, I should mention a few caveats. The chiefest of which is swearing. I've heard the book swears quite a bit. The film keeps the swearing within PG-13 boundaries. There are two explicit f-words and a handful of implied ones. The s-word is also used a number of times. I wish they'd found a better way to express themselves. While there is no violence, there is a scene where Watney is injured and must tend to his own wound. If you are squeamish, that might be a good time to take interest in that bit of spilled popcorn on the floor. There is also a bare backside shot which is used to establish how much weight Watney has lost during his ordeal. Again, there were probably other ways to show that.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Martian. It is one of the most well-crafted films and gripping stories I've seen in quite a while. It's a movie about the triumph of optimism, ingenuity, and persistence. Botany has never seemed so cool.
*** Spoiler Section ***
One of the most humorous parts of the film (for me) was watching Sean Bean's character explaining about the Council of Elrond after another character is confused about "Project Elrond." Sean Bean portrays Boromir, who is of course present at the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring. I was really hoping he'd follow up with something along the lines of: "One does not simply slingshot to Mars." Alas. Missed nerd opportunity.
The other part I chuckled heartily at was Watney explaining how Mars is technically under maritime law. So when he commandeers a vehicle/vessel without permission, that makes him a pirate. Mark Watney: Space Pirate.
Apparently the book ends with Watney being rescued and pulled aboard the Hermes. I thought the film's addition of an epilogue worked quite well. As a viewer, I wanted to know how Watney dealt with what he'd been through. And I was curious about the repercussions the crew would face after their mutiny. Putting it against the backdrop of the next Ares mission worked well.
Quotable Quotes
- "This is Mark Watney ... and I'm still alive. Obviously." -- Watney
- "I'm the best botanist on this planet." -- Watney
- "I'm really excited to not die here." -- Watney to NASA
- "You have terrible taste in music." -- Watney to Lewis
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