Screenplay
by Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods)
Based on
the novel by Andy Weir
Starring:
Matt
Damon (The Departed)
Chiwetel
Ejiofor (Serenity)
Jeff
Daniels (Looper)
Jessica
Chastain (Interstellar)
Sebastian
Stan (Kings)
Kate Mara
(We Are Marshall)
Michael
Peña (Ant-Man)
Askel
Hennie (Headhunters)
Mackenzie
Davis (Halt and Catch Fire)
Kristen
Wiig (Bridesmaids)
Donald
Glover (Community)
Benedict Wong
(The I.T. Crowd)
Sean Bean
(Lord of the Rings)
The Appeal .
Ridley
Scott is at the helm, Drew Goddard, fresh off of Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil (2014),
is penning, and the cast is a swarm of A-list talent. I've not read the
novel, and a plot centered around a stranded astronaut comes across as potentially clichéd
and uninteresting. Add to that the red setting and how few filmmakers have been able to transcend the general blandness of the fourth planet from the sun and I'm left with a lukewarm intrigue towards the whole deal. These big names, however, had me at least curious. Can they all come
together and fulfill their potential?
The Verdict .
Absolutely.
Set The Martian along side Sunshine (2006), Interstellar
(2014), Moon (2009), and Serenity (2005) to join the upper echelon of modern space odysseys.
A smooth
mixture of Interstellar's scope and Gravity's
(2013) realism without both films' tendencies to induce a bit of vertigo. The Martian is a film that yields a stirring and triumphant return
to form for Ridley Scott. A film that captures the vastness of space as an instrument of our future rather than a gargantuan uncertainty. Stunning visuals are on display without a daunting hopelessness that usually accompanies disaster films. It's a pleasant change of pace.
The science is exhilarating while also being relatable. There's a multi layered sense of humor, too. This survivalist adventure uses cinematic and dramatic limitations (censorship, time delay, gravity, trust) to great effect. With a depiction this sharp, you have to wonder what the point is of actually going to Mars if we can pretend this well that we already will have done it. (That last sentence works if you let it.)
The science is exhilarating while also being relatable. There's a multi layered sense of humor, too. This survivalist adventure uses cinematic and dramatic limitations (censorship, time delay, gravity, trust) to great effect. With a depiction this sharp, you have to wonder what the point is of actually going to Mars if we can pretend this well that we already will have done it. (That last sentence works if you let it.)
The scenic details are a treat to behold as Mars is given center stage. The planet certainly needed as big a win as Scott did after the critical beatings they've both suffered (Scott more recently and Mars more consistently). This not only compensates for Ghosts of Mars (2001), Red Planet (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), Mars Needs Moms (2012) and John Carter [of Mars] (2012), but also, Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), The Counselor (2013), and Prometheus (2o12). That's some heavy lifting for a single film.
Andy
Weir's novel provides a strong narrative paired excellently with Goddard's resonant screenplay to give the actors and Scott every opportunity to soar. The shifting perspectives feel natural on camera and the performances are provided by a cast whose resumes are wonderfully eclectic. At the heart is Matt Damon's terrific performance as the ever-quotable, stranded, resilient botanist, Mark Watney.
The
supporting characters are thankfully diverse. We get to witness a decent melting pot with the power dynamics between genders,
cultures, and ranked officials are never insulting. It's nice to know, too, that there was an effort to be more diverse. Ejiofor's character (Surname: Kapoor) was definitely supposed to be an
Indian guy and only wasn't due to scheduling conflicts.
There
also isn't a role in the movie that induces a face palm. Each person makes believable, rational decisions with good
intentions. There isn't a slimy publicist, there's a rational publicist. There's no callous boss, there's a decisive boss with hard choices to make.
While that means that there's no true villain here (not even Mars), it also show's that there doesn't need to be one. Bonus points for not forcing a romance to take center stage while still having a gentle touch of love floating about. On the whole we are given a clichéd story that avoids clichés.
While that means that there's no true villain here (not even Mars), it also show's that there doesn't need to be one. Bonus points for not forcing a romance to take center stage while still having a gentle touch of love floating about. On the whole we are given a clichéd story that avoids clichés.
Lightness
aside, The Martian succeeds at being a survival tale that never feels
predictable. The run time is two and a half hours but you'll be so
enraptured by the film that you'll hardly notice.
Spotlight: The highlight of the film was most certainly the moment when Project Elrond's significance is explained by an attendee of Elrond's Council. Glad whoever forced Scott to keep that in the film succeeded. Sean Bean's Mitch Henderson shines bright in the film as a guy who's clearly seen the middle seasons of every drama on the CW and knows the value of honesty. I'm sure Bean's character would have had a more gruesome fate were he at any point in space but, fortunately for him, he is safely on Earth the entire
time.
And now for the placement...
time.
And now for the placement...
2015
Rankdown .
2.
Mad Max: Fury Road***
4.
The Martian***
5.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl*
6.
Ant-Man***
7.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation***
8.
Jurassic World***
9.
Avengers: Age of Ultron****
10.
Furious 7***
11.
Shaun the Sheep*
13.
Sicario*
14.
Inside Out**
15.
Predestination*
17.
Dope
18.
Straight Outta Compton
19.
Black Mass
20.
Terminator: Genisys*
21.
Paddington*
22.
What We Do In the Shadows
23.
The Water Diviner
24.
Ex Machina
25.
Jupiter Ascending
26.
Slow West
27.
Everest
28.
The Gift
29.
Fantastic Four
30.
Pixels*
31.
Inherent Vice
32.
Mortdecai
(*denoted rewatchability)
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