The Martian — Film Review
Yet another pleasure pill for scientists and science fans encompasses a true love story for the current evolution that science keeps making today. Ridley Scott’s latest film reaches to the case of exploring the further dichotomy of “small step for a man, giant leap for humankind”, mixing it with the touch of humanity that nurtures the whole process.
Based on the adaptation of the novel by Andy Weir, the movie’s main focus pursues the viability of human survival on Mars. Or, at least that’s what you expect after the first fifteen minutes of prologue, when during a mission led by Commander Lewis(Jessica Chastain), a surprising dust storm leaves the astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) behind his teammates, and stranded alone on the planet Mars.
Thus, we are introduced to the main character, and he is therefore left to face a matter of choice: he has limited resources for survival and no form of communication with anyone from Earth, or he fixes the problem. Choice seems to be a recurring theme in the movie, as most of the characters involved have to decide whether they follow one plan (which is usually safer and feasible in most scenarios), or they endeavor to take risks in their actions. Ultimately, they all end up picking the second one, risking it all, and successfully delivering the spectator the sense of adrenaline rush and suspense which can only leave you spellbound.
Probably the best part of the movie is the linear narration of the survival story told by Watney: the audience is led throughout the key moments of the movie, empathizing with his trial & failure experiments for raising his daily food provisions (proving himself not only that he likes being a botanist, but that he is great at it), laughing during various disco tunes that somehow fit quite well with the scenes, and indulging with a delightful amount of irony, one that introduces a needed characteristic to the characters: their human side. NASA gets pretty much a lot of endorsement, being represented by a highly well prepared team (played by Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Eijofor, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover) which commits by all regards, to bringing the central character home. This is another strong point for the movie: there are no villains, no forced climaxes: everyone finally devotes himself to the same goal, and the sense of unity combined with unanimity is the small flicker of idealism through a well delivered story. And you can’t help but feel fulfilled by the end of it.
Matt Damon delivers a clean, sympathetic and natural performance throughout the movie, building the antithesis of the heroic character and simply offering us a character that decides not to fight against death, but to fight for his survival. He carries a moral with him of course, and his fundamental faith relies in science “do the math. Solve the problem”. The cast represented by Mark Watney’s shipmates (Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Aksel Hennie, Sebastian Stan) and the NASA board bring a refreshing tune of familiarity and friendship that ensures some entertaining moments. Their individual stories only show small insights, but the movie easily manages to point out what matters the most — their integrity and loyalty.
In matters of visual and technical effects, the movie deals a lot with creating Mark Watney’s universe, and making us understand it. You don’t get to see as much of “baryonic matter” as in the recent Interstellar or Gravity. What stands out, however, is the surface scenes on Mars, the color balance being kept in a natural tone and synchronized according to original NASA produced pictures of the planet. The space capture at the end of the movie is not only one of the most gripping scenes, but it’s also a masterful visual achievement, managing to balance the fast motion of the characters with the background. You may get the feeling of seeing a centrifugal force, but the background pulls you out of it and releases the visual tension. The camera also moves constantly in an out between these shots, in the manner of connecting the dots and raising the tension of the scene. And yes, it will make you clench.
Side notes? I did not mind the small range of interaction between the characters, nor the little details given into their personal lives. I would have loved to see, in exchange for that, more essence in the female characters. Although she is the Commander, Jessica Chastain’s character can easily be forgotten and not taken for more as “the girl from the sci-fi movie”. I would have to say the same for Kristen Wiig — she impersonates the classic public relations agent, she gets to receive he “confirmation look question”, but she fairly succeeds the possibility of shutting down arguments or building her own, for that matter.
In the end, Ridley Scott and Drew Goddard (screenplay) both manage to bring us a refreshing taste of the sci-fi movie genre, this time supported with scientific facts and great visuals. The movie is witty, spirited, and doesn’t try to awe you in the classic blockbuster manner. Which is why it does, for there is nothing more spectacular behind your 3D glasses, than the simplicity of the story itself.
