The Martian – Film Review by Cormac Fitzgerald

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Drew Goddard (Screenplay); Andy Weir (Book)

Starring: Matt Damon; Jessica Chastain; Chiwetel Ejiofor; Jeff Bridges

Stranded and alone on Mars when the rest of his crew assume he died during a storm, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) must rely on his ingenuity and resourcefulness (not to mention a healthy dose of good luck) in order to survive and make it back to earth. Adapted from the Andy Weir novel of the same name, The Martian is a clever and beautifully shot sci-fi movie from acclaimed director Ridley Scott that eschews the usual sci-fi formula for a more uplifting, human adventure.

Scott’s no stranger to space, having directed the horror classic, Alien, and more recently Prometheus. However, this time around instead of monstrous aliens or robots there is merely a botanist trying to survive on a lifeless planet and a crew trying their best to save him. The movie is set in a future so near that it seems like there’s only little difference to the real world. There’s shiny space suits and a few technological advances (i.e., humans walking on Mars), but socially and conceptually this is very close to the present day world.

Watney has the pick of the rations left behind by his departing crew, but he quickly learns that in order to survive long enough to be potentially rescued he needs to grow his own food. Using some homemade manure and clever science, he manages to cultivate a plantation of potatoes to chow down on. Later, he makes contact with NASA and after much to-ing and fro-ing and a few setbacks, it befalls his departed crew, led by a guilt-ridden Captain Lewis (Jessica Chastain) to decide whether to go back and launch a daring rescue mission.

Meanwhile, back on Earth and team of NASA scientists and engineers (as well as PR managers) all clamour to bring Watney home, while his survival becomes a major world news story. The bustling earth scenes add a counterpoint to the isolation and loneliness of Mars and are led by an individual cast of accomplished actors, with excellent turns from Chiwetel Ejiofor as Watney’s contact point on earth, and Jeff Daniels doing what he does best as the gruff but ultimately compassionate director of NASA.

Damon is superb as Watney – a highly likeable and upbeat character who talks to the camera constantly as a means of staying sane. Watney doesn’t have too much time for contemplation, preferring a go get ‘em attitude instead of nihilistic despair. The movie, therefore, is a practical affair, concerned more with how to grow potatoes and make water from hydrogen rather than the vastness of the universe or any human interaction – there are no bawling children or tacked on love story. In the Martian, engineering and science wrestle with philosophy and sentimentalism and come out well on top.

Mars is all baked red stone and dust and it looks beautiful (much of it shot on location in Wadi Rum in Jordan). The space suits and technology are sleek and shiny (but not over the top) while Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography is beautifully executed.

As the movie works its way methodically to a truly nail-biting ending you’ll be rooting for Watney and his crew, as well as the team of engineers back on earth. An accomplished rescue story that relies on human endurance and the practicality and science of staying alive rather than any emotional manipulation – excellent stuff.