The Martian

In the not-too-distant future, a dust storm causes a manned mission to Mars to go awry. The crew of the Ares III is forced to evacuate, and astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind. Watney, who turns out to be very much alive, must use his botany and engineering background to navigate a series of challenges that range from extending his food supply to establishing contact with Earth to eventually finding a way off of the planet. Meanwhile, news of Watney’s survival has created massive public pressure to bring the astronaut home, forcing NASA personnel to create a solution.

Many a time has a Matt Damon character been stranded somewhere, and billions of dollars and countless hours have gone toward retrieving him. In light of that, it’s tempting to forgo this latest outing and simply buy Damon a GPS. However, while The Martian evokes both previous space fare and Damon misadventures alike, it gets by on inspiration and astute craftsmanship far more than it does on déjà vu.

Given its writer (Daredevil creator Drew Goddard, adapting Andy Weir’s novel) and director (Ridley Scott), The Martian is a surprisingly optimistic film. Whereas Damon’s character in Interstellar faced a similar predicament and snapped from the isolation, Watney never gives up hope. Though he endures injuries and setbacks, he is determined to not die on Mars and desperately innovates as the situation dictates. In that way, he is a bit of a kindred spirit to Cast Away’s Chuck Noland albeit considerably more (understandably) profane and sarcastic. These latter qualities also help give the film a humorous edge and steer it away from hollow sentimentality.

The Martian also benefits from supporting roles that are both well-written and capably acted. These include Jessica Chastain as Lewis, the mission commander who must balance her concern for Mark with her responsibilities to the rest of the team and Donald Glover as Rich, a brilliant-but-scatterbrained astrodynamicist who comes up with a risky solution. A lesser film would have turned NASA director Teddy Sanders (a deadpan Jeff Daniels) into an obstructive bureaucrat or made Chinese space officials into antagonists, but The Martian realistically keeps these characters sympathetic even when they don’t see eye-to-eye with everyone else.

Speaking of realism, this film succeeds in making the implausible look possible. Whether a product of Weir’s copious research or NASA’s behind-the-scenes involvement (or both), The Martian takes something that sounds outlandish on paper (i.e. using duct tape to repair a breach) and presents it in a way is convincing. Moreover, this is a movie that is willing to show its work. For those tired of simplistic Hollywood magic, listening to Watney explain (via a video journal) how he was able to grow crops in space will be a welcome relief.

If there is one criticism to be made, it is that the film is at times almost too serene. This isn’t to say that it lacks tension – it doesn’t – but rather that characters from Watney to mission control to the Ares crew sometimes come across as a bit too at ease with the potentially catastrophic decisions that they make. Granted, this may come from them being trained professionals, but seeing everyone sign up for a risky rescue mission in a blink of an eye is disconcerting.

While there are more superlatives that can be offered – the red desert cinematography is striking, the intentionally lame 70s soundtrack is amusingly appropriate, etc. – you are best served seeing this one for yourself, preferably on a large screen. Even those who are sick of Damon’s habitual waywardness will be rooting for him to pull through this one.

8.5/10