The Martian
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig
Duration: 141 mins
Class: 12
KRS Film Releasing Ltd.

Matt Damon finds water on Mars! Well, not quite, but The Martian, Damon’s latest film, will surely have had an unexpected boost with Nasa’s announcement Monday that there is liquid water on the surface of the red planet – undoubtedly piquing interest in the film (which, it has to be said is a work of pure fiction based on the novel by Andy Weir).

Damon plays Mark Watney, a botanist who forms part of the crew of Ares III, a manned mission to Mars. When the crew is forced into an emergency evacuation due to the sudden onset of a fierce storm, Watney is left behind, presumed dead.

Only, he isn’t, and when he awakens from unconsciousness and tends to his injuries, he realises he is alone on the planet and a million miles away from home with few supplies. He has no means of communicating, either with the crew, now well on their way back to earth, nor with Nasa in Houston. Yet, instead of succumbing to panic and despair, Watney calls on his resourcefulness and skills – and quite a bit of droll humour – to survive until rescue is possible.

If director Ridley Scott didn’t quite reach the heights we are used to with his last two films, Exodus: Gods and Kings and The Counsellor, he certainly hits all the right notes with a visually-spectacular and highly-entertaining movie. The Martian doesn’t reach the intimate emotional depths of 2013’s Gravity, nor does it boast the philosophical bent of last year’s thought-provoking Interstellar.

Yet, it is a worthy companion to them – a space adventure chock-full of drama and emotion and seasoned with a large dollop of humour. It is a thrilling story built on science fiction that skirts closely to fact. Worth noting is that the novel was adapted by screenwriter Drew Goddard, who launched his career writing for cult TV hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where he certainly learned how to effectively combine action, drama and comedy.

His performance is effortless, charming and poignant

Damon has the lion’s share of the screen time and his performance is effortless, charming and poignant and as Watney almost casually sets out on his survival mission, he is certainly affable company. He posts a video log daily in which he meticulously details what it is he is doing as he counts out his rations, creates a sizable greenhouse to grow potatoes and actually creates water himself.

Things do not always go smoothly of course and his penchant for blowing things up does get him into trouble – but his infectious, almost childlike optimism keeps him going. The only sign of abject despair manifests itself when he realises his only company is a repertoire of 1970s disco music.

In the meantime, back on earth, an eagle-eyed Nasa employee routinely examining satellite images notices signs that Watney could be still alive, so the agency, led by director Saunders (Jeff Daniels), springs into action to try and bring their man home.

The action thereon cuts from Watney on Mars, to the crew on their long journey home (initially oblivious to the fact that he is in fact alive) and to Earth, where an assortment of scientists grapple with ideas, only for them to be rejected seconds later.

All the while, events unfolds energetically, gripping the audience from the get go. The story is methodically told, the characters well-drawn and the science never indecipherable – until finally young scientist Rich Purnell (Donald Glover) comes up with the most ridiculously insane and dangerous idea, which seems to be is the only obvious solution.

This leads to the most audacious white-knuckle ride of a rescue effort, which will leave your heart thumping wildly in its chest as it races towards its outcome. You will certainly be emotionally drained by the time it is over and you can somehow find it in you to breathe again.

This is, undoubtedly, Damon’s movie. And yet, Goddard’s screenplay also makes place for each member of the ensemble cast to create well-rounded characters.

Daniels’s Saunders is a pragmatic man who comfortably bears the responsibility of the life and death decisions that face him; Chiwetel Ejiofor is Nasa’s director of Mars missions, desperate for things to go well; Sean Bean as Mitch Henderson, flight director of Ares III, who would do anything to bring his astronauts home and Kristen Wiig as Nasa’s harried media director. Jessica Chastain is a standout as the mission commander, who’s guilt at leaving Watney behind, leads her to take some unorthodox decisions.