Does Ridley Scott redeem himself with The Martian?
 |
| "Damn! That Prometheus crew is really stupid!" |
The
Martian, based on the 2011 novel of the same name that made
Andy Weir a surprise hit of the decade, is something relative to an Apollo 13-style theme mixed with Castaway type nuances.
Astronaut/botanist Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and presumed dead by the rest of his
crew mates. He must survive well past his anticipated expiration date by
exhausting every resource he has on a planet that is literally void of
opportunity. It’s your classic tale of man-left-behind-on-Mars-but-figures-out-how-to-make-it-work-anyway.
Visually, director Ridley Scott (Alien,
Blade Runner) conceptualizes a limitless horizon of dry sand and morphs it
into a literal astronaut playground with striking framework that masterfully
illustrates what happens when you turn an award-winning novel into a (possibly)
award-winning film.
Watney (played by Matt Damon) begins his journey at
ground zero with the nominal resources left behind from his crew mates and
transforms his unfortunate situation into a tale of strong-willed perseverance. He
becomes the self-proclaimed “best botanist on Mars” (and that’s hard to argue
with, since he’s the only botanist on Mars) by ravaging any semblance of his lifeless habitat and constructing his own (ingenious) mini potato farm. He manages to
immutably sustain both his crops and his sanity while “documenting” his journey
via laptop email with NASA.
 |
| "Sent to Mars and growing weed. I just love this mission." |
The rest of the cast and crew do just as they were
probably intended – formally viewed first as the “rest of us” back home, but
quickly becoming a staple to Mark Watney’s safe return. Kristen Wiig’s
portrayal of NASA assistant Annie Montrose is at first glance stale and
one-dimensional but considering it’s her first non-comedic acting role, her
timing and dry delivery packs more punch than expected. Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña and Kate Mara also bring life to Oscar-worthy
performances in an already impressive cinematic gem.
The Martian is what Gravity would have been like if science
had more of a hand in the respective outcomes, outplaying each and every
futuristic space movie, and quickly making all of them seem as tame as Toy Story. It’s a film that pools all
possible outcomes with the strong and steadfast will of humans and turns an
“I wish” into an “I can”. There are several glaring instances of defeat that
Watney is challenged with – no food, no water, no support system. Scott teaches
us scene-by-scene what adversity feels and looks like, throwing in flawless and
perfectly timed comedic relief to once again reassure that although this man is
stranded on a planet 140 million miles from Earth, the smallest ounce of humor
in even the toughest situations can nearly save a life.
Score
-Sarah Shafer
Like Bourne on Mars? Share this review.
