The Martian - Review

This review of The Martian is spoiler-free!

I know, I know, we're here again. I haven't watched something that is a classic for many in cinema as a whole. The reality is, I just didn't really have the willpower to see the movie on my own and eventually, it just slipped my mind as a whole. Matt Damon has a certain star power that he brings to anything he does and that's actually what really brought me back to The Martian. And the fact that this is a film with Oscar considerations attached I felt inclined to watch the movie. One thing that I'm sure most people don't know by now about me is that I love space and everything about it. Interstellar is one of my favorite films of all time, and astronomy, in general, is a great topic for me. Well, those of you who haven't gotten into this Matt Damon space story, let's start the discussion!

The story of The Martian is rather simple. Damon's Mark Watney is working with his crew of astronauts on the planet Mars at the start of the film when disaster strikes in the form of a terrible wind storm. Forced to evacuate, they make their way to their craft only to have Watney blown away by the wind and begrudgingly left behind. Now Watney is left to survive alone on Mars and reconnect with NASA to help bring him home. The majority of the story is split between those back home and Watney's journey on the red planet. Truthfully, I loved this story. Sure the abandoned alone story is something that has been beaten to death in Hollywood, but here in this different setting and journey, it is given a new lease on life. Along with this, it's not as much a story of despair as it is of hope. Watney doesn't give up hope, he's simply trying to find his way off this terrible planet.

Speaking of Mark Watney, let's discuss the only character that really matters in the film. Damon portrays Watney with a charm that you almost think would be impossible to have in a scenario of this magnitude. He is a man of science who doesn't ever lose faith in his situation and the possibility of salvation. Instead of spending a large chunk of the film building up the courage to surviving, they immediately jump to that and I am so thankful. Damon's portrayal is simply put: outstanding. There's a group of multiple characters back at NASA who play a role in Watney's rescue, but two of the most important is Sean Bean's Mitch Henderson and Chiwetel Ejiofor's Vincent Kapoor. At odds at some points in the film, they end up working together to help bring their lost man home.Jeff Daniels' role as a sort of the antagonist in the film is a bit shaky but it was a necessary element of the overall story.

The standout element for me in The Martian is the tone and theme throughout. The Martian could easily have been a film that focused on the negatives of being abandoned on another planet, but it actually manages to be a more positive story about picking up the pieces and working together for a higher calling. The men and women of NASA find out things about themselves that they wouldn't have known without getting into this situation and it sort of also pushes across this idea of finding something within ourselves. Truthfully, The Martian is an extremely positive film and I loved it for being so. The use of small bits of comedy throughout also help to elevate the movie as a whole.

This story is something that I think needed to be told. I know that sounds odd as it's a fictional story, but it helps redefine a genre that was hitting a stale point. The space genre turned a corner with The Martian, opening up a new area for filmmakers to indulge in. Matt Damon's Mark Watney is also one of the most memorable characters in movies in recent years, and while we had plenty of time with him, I can't help but wish we had even more. The latter half of the film focuses more on the supporting characters, which leaves long periods of time without him and it's most certainly noticeable. In the long run, though, The Martian has many more pros than it does cons, and that leaves a film that can withstand time better than most. Check out The Martian whenever you get the chance!

9.25/10