"The Martian" Brings Life to Mars

Director Ridley Scott's (‘Alien,’ ‘Blade Runner,’) latest film, ‘The Martian,’ details an astronaut’s extraordinary story of attempted, against-all-odds survival on the barren Mars landscape.

Matt Damon plays astronaut Mark Watney. A botanist by training, Watney is part of the multi-disciplinary team of the Ares 3, a part of NASA’s third manned mission to Mars, led by Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain). When an unexpectedly severe windstorm storm forces the crew’s premature evacuation of Mars, Watney is accidentally falsely presumed dead and left behind. Alone, cut off from communication, and under the assumption that it will be years before another crew can reach him on the distant Red Planet, Watney must use his ultra-sciency skill set to address all manner of twists and turns while trying to figure out how to attend to his basic needs to survive his isolation. Meanwhile, back on Earth, NASA, headed by Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels), must figure out its next move given the now-incomplete crew of the Ares 3.

This is ultimately Damon’s movie and, perhaps, one of his best roles ever. Damon skillfully makes Watley personable, ingenious, and trustworthy. The audience soon begins to see that Watley won’t give up without every ounce of his being having tried every scientific possibility. The seeming purity of Watley’s character and the earnestness of his pursuit for life are refreshing, allowing Watley to be a highly relatable (albeit hyper-intellectual) everyman.

Fully expecting an all-out torture-fest detailing the desperation of survival, ‘The Martian’s' very unexpected comic tone and disco-based soundtrack pleasantly surprises. (Watching Watley blast Donna Summer’s ‘Hot Stuff’ while warming himself with a plutonium-based generator can’t be missed). As such, this is far from a film about mental unraveling and the emotional destitution of being alone a la ‘Cast Away.’ Instead, Damon’s Watley is extraordinarily skilled in coming up with increasingly better ideas to attempt to hasten his rescue without letting go of his optimism.

The film is also remarkably beautifully shot, making space as visually engaging as it was in ‘Gravity’ while still portraying Mars as a beautifully desolate place of isolation.

At its core, the film is a surprisingly heartfelt love letter to science, the never-ending spirit of human ingenuity, and the pure, unadulterated will for survival. 'The Martian,' with its unexpected lightly humorous tone and witty casting choices (including NASA’s public relations director, played by 'SNL'-vet Kristen Wiig, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Orbital Dynamicist, played by 'Community's' Donald Glover) is captivating, surprising, and life-affirming cinematic fare. ‘The Martian’ is rated 5 of 5 stars.