In recent years, Hollywood has seen a resurgence of space exploration films. In 2013, it was Alfonso Cuarón’s, Gravity. Last year, it was Christopher Nolan’s, Interstellar. This year, it’s Ridley Scott’s, “The Martian”. The cast includes: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, and Sean Bean. Ironically, this film is coming out during a time when it seems people are taking an interest again in space travel. In the 60’s–the golden age of space exploration–people were crazy about this stuff, and unfortunately, that excitement has died down over the last thirty years. Coincidentally, this a time when the planet Mars has been all over the news. As some of you may know, water was found on the Red Planet just this past week.
The film begins with a crew of American astronauts exploring the planet, Mars. Among them is botanist, Mark Watney (Damon), who is stranded on the Red Planet after a ferocious dust storm. His crew, suspecting that he is dead, leaves him unintentionally behind. With limited rations and supplies, Watney has to survive on the desolate landscape, alone. Using his intellect, knowledge of science, and incredible botanist skills, Mark manages to survive and grow food for himself. The only question is; how long can he stay alive?
Matt Damon is one of those actors in films that you can just always connect with. He has this great screen presence, even if he’s playing a bad-cowardly astronaut; or a good-brave astronaut who has to survive. Seriously, after his last space film, one would think they’d think twice about sending him into space again. And yes, he gets blown out of the airlock–again. All Interstellar jokes aside, Damon gives one of the best performances I’ve seen him give in years. His character is really funny, and most importantly, relatable. For a guy trapped and isolated on another planet, he sure is optimistic. While admittedly, he is the only character you care about, the other cast members still give great performances. Seriously, the cast assembled is almost more impressive than the cast Nolan got.
As with any space opera, this film looks incredible. Not just the stunning cinematography by Darius Wolski, but the gorgeous visual effects. With director Ridley Scott, it’s hit or miss. One thing is always guaranteed however, and that’s the incredible visuals. The CGI in this film is utterly flawless. The planets, ships, and landscapes look surreal. Not only are the fake visuals great, the sets, costumes, and practical effects are as well. The space suits, while looking a bit too futuristic for my taste, reminded me very much of the suits in Kubrick’s, 2001. Even more impressive are the sets. They looked so good, and the gorgeous cinematography showed them off in great, wide and symmetrical shots.
The plot of, The Martian is pretty familiar, yet effective. It’s incredibly straight forward. A guy gets trapped and isolated far from home. He has to brave the elements and survive until he is rescued. We’ve seen this before, many, many times. Of course this time, the stakes are higher. Our protagonist isn’t stranded on a remote island or behind enemy lines. He’s stuck on a completely different planet. On the ground, we’ve got all these people from NASA and other agencies, trying to bring our boy home. The cuts between Earth and mars were very well handled. The time spent on both locations was just right, and well balanced.
Finally, we can’t glance over Ridley Scott’s solid direction. Recently, and it’s no secret, Scott’s been making films that haven’t been too impressive. It’s been years since he’s made a film this good. Many of you will know him as the director of Alien, Gladiator, and Blade Runner. This is most certainly, his best film since those classics. Allot of that has to do with the amazing, funny, and witty script. Drew Goddard wrote the screenplay, an is known for his work on: Cabin in the Woods, World War Z, and several famous television series.
“The Martian” is a visually stunning, funny, and thrilling film. It brings out the best in director Ridley Scott and actor Matt Damon. While it’s not a perfect masterpiece, and there are occasional moments where things get a bit slow, it’s still one of the better films of the year. It’s an almost nail biting experience, with great dialogue, amazing visuals, and incredible action sequences. The last act of the film is really exciting, and reminded me of an amped up version of a particular scene in 2001. There are even a few direct visual references to that classic masterpiece, making me respect Scott as a director even more.
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