When a critical storm attacks the crew of Ares 3 during a manned mission on the surface, the team's botanist Mark Watney (Damon) is hit by debris and is presumed dead, with the crew (consisting of Ant-Man's Michael Peña, Fantastic Four's Kate Mara, Captain America: The Winter Soldier's Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie and lead by Interstellar's Jessica Chastain) leaving the planet for home to proclaim the mission a failure. Little do they know though that Watney is in fact still alive and now at risk of death from the likes of starvation and oxygen levels. So comes a plan: find a way to communicate to NASA, extend his food supply via rationing and growing vegetables on a planet with no life, and actually get off the planet somehow. And with NASA only discovering that their stranded astronaut still lives after holding a memorial service for their first fallen explorer comes not only a huge PR nightmare for head of the company Jeff Daniels (Looper) and his assistant (Kristen Wiig), but also a huge conundrum for the entire world of science – how do you get Mark Watney home? Can he return home alive? Or will he succumb to either the dangers of the world around him or the terrible musical tastes of those who left him behind?
Having actually read the book prior to the film's release for once, experiencing the story being retold for the big screen was something to be impressed by and to thankful of. Impressed because the magnitude of it between the three different realms and perspectives at hand (Earth, Mars and the spaceship Hermes), and thankful because it makes the science of it all a whole lot clearer than in the book. Both have been applauded for how scientifically accurate the material is – or at least was, before water was discovered there this week – and any non-scientist viewers will be relieved that it's all explained clear enough for you to understand without the whole thing being dumbed down. Anywho, the story is still a good one which translate well to the screen, with the occasional blend of humour to the otherwise dramatic picture adding some well-needed levity to it all. And while some might think that the film would be a rather predictable affair, then – well, just see for yourself how wrong that is, as even though I had read the book beforehand I was still guessing as to what happens next.
There are a lot of films about being deprived from other human contact, but it's possible that this is the most beautiful. With the Martian soils replicated perfectly by the sands of Wadi Rum in Jordan; the ship design of Hermes being glorious if not a little out of Earth's current price range; and even the laboratories of NASA and others look aesthetically pleasing, this is approving not only the stellar work of the set designers but also of director Ridley Scott, with his combined efforts with said designers and the film's cinematographer making a visually appealing picture which, while can often be overshadowed by other space stellar works recently such as Gravity and Interstellar still leads an impressive-looking picture, complimented by the blend of Henry Gregson-Williams' score and perhaps the best sci-fi soundtrack since last year's Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a film that looks and sounds good.
As the titular 'Martian' and one-time space pirate, Matt Damon has a mighty job playing the deserted space cadet, what with having no one to bounce off of for the majority of the film except for his video logs on every sol. But thankfully, his charismatic and overtly charming Watney manages to survive succumbing to what could have been an incredibly annoying protagonist. But you do honestly care as to how he'll survive, and every drawback he faces from his experiments on the fire star or from failed attempts of assistance back home can be felt by viewers. In a way, the audience watching Watney survive and adapt is very much like the general public in The Martian – watching and hoping that he comes home.
On team Hermes – which doesn't get that much screentime due to being kept in the dark for the majority of it – you have a group that aren't quite evenly distributed in roles nor character development (the most notable of which being the relationship between Stan and Mara), but it's at least refreshing that it's a diverse cast of characters. Out of the bunch, Chastain is the most notable because of her role as Captain of the ship alongside with her guilt for leaving Watney behind, but the entire team do good. Meanwhile on Earth, Jeff Daniels as the slightly-stoic Head of NASA is great in the serious role but also lacking in much character; Wiig adds some extra laughs in a likeable role; Chiwetel Ejiofor as the most devoted team member is perhaps on the film's MVP – second only to the underused Donald Glover, who's scenes are all great because of him; Sean Bean as the informer is good too if underused; Benedict Wong is great too in a role that mostly has him on a television screen, and the brief interlude to the Chinese Space Program has some good work too – even if their reason for assisting in the mission isn't explained like it is in the book, but that's a nitpick if anything.
The Martian is an adaptation done right. It's beautifully realised by Scott and company, has a strong if underwhelming cast lead by a grand Matt Damon, and the source material has been expertly turned into a screenplay by Drew Goddard. It never feels overlong, there's never any forced humour and they even cut out the parts which have brought the film down to a halt. A flawed film thanks to the lack of character interaction with some otherwise key players, but an otherwise really enjoyable film. 8/10.
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