The Martian (2015)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 141 minutes
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, Naomi Scott, Lili Bordán, Nick Mohammed
KRS Releasing Ltd
Ridley Scott has adapted Andy Weir’s 2011 novel and the result is a film that is technically superb, gripping and, as this Castaway interlaced with Apollo 13 develops on the big screen, it emerges as a must-see movie on this medium.
Scott directs with a sure hand and eschews his recent tendencies to go over the top. His film is both futuristic and realistic, both forward-looking and yet grounded in the here and now.
He has delivered a film that does not have much excess fat, and it’s in this sense that every sequence, every shot is important. The Martian gives you the feel that a lot of craft and technique was placed in its making.
Coming off the back of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, this year saw the release of two science fiction films that are entrenched firmly in what is termed to be ‘science fact’.
The Martian may not have the scope of Interstellar but it does have a very rewarding and strong tale of survival.It also makes us think twice and wonder if the budget cuts to space travel are justified or not. The Martian is very much a great spark to the pro-space exploration argument.
Matt Damon is Mark Watney, an astronaut forming part of a team that is on Mars when an accident happens. They think he dies, so they evacuate the planet and leave him behind.
To all intents and purposes Watney should not survive, especially considering that he was the least important member of the team. But he is a botanist and this gives him an edge in trying to survive.
The Martianis very much a great spark to the pro-space exploration argument
His mission is to try and see if he can raise plants without making use of water or compost. Now he really needs to make this work as supplies can only reach him within four years, when the next planned mission is set to arrive, and he has a limited amount of food.
Scott has a clear motive and the movie does not veer away from his agenda to enter into popcorn entertainment. The director delivers the intensity and the suspense, but not at the expense of realism.
Despite all this technological background, The Martian is a tale of the human spirit and human endeavour. The film empathises with Damon’s character and also takes us to Houston Space Centre, where we are made to feel as if we are part of the team trying to come up with ways in order to save Watney.
It’s this element of a man surviving against all odds, while back home a whole planet is trying to find ways to help or at least sympathise with him, that is the film’s main thematic attraction.
Damon delivers good acting, Jessica Chastain as a mission commander is interesting, while Jeff Daniels as the Nasa head is caught in quite a managerial tight spot.
Every little thing that Watney seems to come up with that helps his survival chances is treated as a little miracle, and the film builds solidly on this feeling of hope and communal faith.
While the film makes us aware of all the dangers of space travel, we also feel hope and inspiration, and may truly believe that the future of man could well be written in the stars.