(USA, 130 min.)
Dir. Ridley Scott, Writ. Drew Goddard
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen
Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan,
Benedict Wong
Is there life on Mars? Well, yes and no. The Red Planet is a
desolate and barren place in science fiction (and, admittedly, reality) and The Martian is no exception. However,
there is life on Mars in this thrilling survival drama from director Ridley
Scott (Gladiator) as stranded
astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) shows that life endures in even the most
unforgiving places. This smart sci-fi film brings the genre back to its roots
and takes audiences to space without any of the gimmicks on which recent space
outings rely. With or without the 3D glasses, The Martian is a thrilling trip. (This review considers the 2D
version.)
Life on Mars is a struggle as the team of the Ares III mission Mars encounters a dangerous storm. Their commander, Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), makes the call to leave, but Watney, presumed dead after a piece of debris knocks him off the grid, is left behind in the sandstorm of spacestuff. With no tools for contact and hundreds of millions of miles between the closet humans, survival seems slim. Watney’s a fighter, though, and he picks himself up with his NASA-grade botanical skills. It turns out that with a few potatoes and a little poop, life on Mars is, somehow, possible. The next mission to Mars is four years away, so that’s a lot of carbs.
Science and logic hardly prevail back at home, though, as
the folks at NASA mind themselves in a PR nightmare when evidence of Watney’s
survival surfaces shortly after the American Government gives him a cushy
funeral. NASA’s director (Jeff Daniels), its chief of Mars missions (Chiwetel
Ejiofor), and its Director of Media Relations (Kristen Wiig) all have competing
ideas on how best to strategize the mission and, if possible, bring Watney
home. Watney’s crew back in space doesn’t know that he’s alive, but science
works in Watney’s favour again when a whipsmart analyst devises a shrewd
slingshot plan to let the Ares III team save the man they left behind. Science
wins, if the team decides to put their own lives at risk.
The Martian, as
Dr. Watney might say, “sciences the shit” out of space movies. Regardless of
whether the film is factually correct or remotely scientifically accurate doesn’t
really matter: it sounds smart and it seems smart, and, better yet, it finds
considerable drama by approaching a space mission from the side of numbers,
nature, and logic. The Martian puts
the science back in science fiction as it asks big questions, not with aliens,
but with math. It’s about the possibilities to calculate, test, and push the
limits of human life and experience beyond the odds.
The science stuff plays a strong role as Watney defies death
by revisiting his basic knowledge and by combining them with his survival
skills. The boyish charm of Damon’s screen presence makes the science
experiments extra fun as Watney has just as much fun blowing shit up in space
as he does growing crops for sustenance. As the self-proclaimed “best botanist
on the planet” and the only true renegade space pirate, Watney can (and does)
rightfully advise Neil Armstrong to suck it. Moon schmoon.
Damon’s strong performance gives the film significant gravity
as The Martian looks to the foundational
roots of filmmaking—story and character—to give the audience a compelling
objective. The Martian gives complex
characters on all sides of this life-or-death drama as everyone in space and on
Earth holds a vital stake in the operation and grapples with their own egos and
belief systems to find a way to work together. Chastain is especially good as
Lewis, who holds a soldier’s perseverance and loyalty as she honours her duty
to Watney by seeing their mission through. She’s a strong astronaut in a field
of Scott’s notable roster of out-of-this-world heroines, which includes Ellen
Ripley and Shaw/Vickers, and her down-to-earth power gives The Martian a fine partner for Damon, as the crew ensuring Watney’s
survival is every bit as compelling as he is. On the ground, Ejiofor and Wiig
are a smart screen couple while Daniels plays the face of bureaucratic
indifference well. The Martian,
adapted by Drew Godard (Cabin In the
Woods) from the bestselling novel, populates its universe with great
characters, twists, and smarts.
There's considerable life on Mars thanks to the care the filmmakers and cast give the world of the characters akin to Watney's attentive potato farming. This adrenaline-pumping and neuron-boosting adventure is
Scott’s best film since Black Hawk Down as
the director stages some impeccable set pieces on Mars and orchestrates some suspenseful
ballets in space. Scott, however, never lets the outstanding visuals overwhelm
the film. While The Martian is
technically faultless, technical bravura isn’t its endgame. It’s refreshing to
watch a major studio tentpole that’s a visual effects extravaganza that
relegates the CGI to a peripheral role. The visual wizardry is a marvel, yes,
but The Martian knows that empty CGI
is meaningless without someone to give it purpose. It’s a relief to sit back
and enjoy a space odyssey that doesn’t play like a video game.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
The Martian is now playing in wide release.
