The Martian

Disco Inferno

So after my little outburst about Pixels, I feel like I need to review a film that reminds me that there are still credible actors and directors out there.

And not just hack, washed-up comedians who aim to make as much money as possible and just clearly don't give a....

Sorry... sigh... anyway, The Martian...

PLOT

In the close future, we have been able to send humans to Mars.  On one of these missions to study the red planet, astronaut and botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets struck by the site's communication satellite during a evacuation-worthy sandstorm.  With no trace of him and his suit reading no life-signs, his fellow astronauts blast off to safety, unwittingly leaving him behind for dead.

When he regains consciousness, Watney realises whilst he has a year's worth of food, it's four years until another mission can be launched to come and get him.

Of course, that's if he can let Earth know he's alive...

And his tent doesn't rupture in another sandstorm...

And he can grow food and collect water on a planet that has neither...

It's not looking good...

OPINIONS

Going into The Martian, some colleagues and fellow film reviewers had described the film as "the best film of 2015 so far!" or even "best science fiction film ever seen!".  I cannot agree with either of these statements, but that doesn't mean I thought it was a bad film.

Quite the contrary in fact, as I was delightfully surprised by The Martian.  For one, it is much more upbeat, light-hearted and positive in it's approach to the storyline that I would have imagined.  A film such as this usually comes with dramatic music, peril throughout and more than enough amounts of self-pity.

But that's where The Martian and it's main character, Mark Watney, differ.  A day or two into his lone stay on Mars, Watney declares that he is "not gonna die here!" and sets about fixing his situation. He begins to use his scientific mind and botany skills to grow a sustainable food source on Mars to keep him alive.  His trials and experiments are great entertainment as Matt Damon uses his charismatic skills to their very best and is an incredibly watchable lead actor.

His optimism and humour is a refreshing change of pace in these sort of 'All Is Lost' films and allows the film to never feel depressing or boring.  The 70's era soundtrack also helps, as Chastain's Commander Lewis is a huge disco fan (unfortunately for Watney).  From ABBA to Donna Summer, the classic anthems never fail to put a smile on your face and move the story along at a brisk pace, often framing the film's montages in a seamless fashion.

To counterbalance the one-man show taking place on Mars, the film has an abundance of talented side-characters, such as Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor being those entrusted with bringing Watney home alive. Everyone plays their part well, with no one letting the film down.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Having said that... it was a shame to have up-and-coming actors such as Kate Mara, Donald Glover and Michael Peña come across as under-utilised. However that is bound to happen when the cast-list is so overburdened with famous names.

Suffering from another issue with such a large cast of characters, The Martian spreads itself a little thin when trying to flesh out all of them.  The film's light-hearted and jovial attitude seemed to flow through every character, seemingly making everyone not take the situation seriously.  Whilst it was refreshing not having a villain to root against, with humanity joining together being a worthy and admirable central message, consequentially, all the characters seemed bland, similar and unremarkable.

Going back to what I said before about the film being remarkably upbeat for an 'All Is Lost' type of film, I feel that whilst that was refreshing and what the film will be remembered for, I felt it still needed more peril and danger in the mission and Watney's overall situation.

Watney's solutions came too easily to him and mistakes he encountered became less frequent.  He seemed too capable in the situations he faced, coming across as a little too 'Hollywood' in places.  I was expecting a level of danger and loneliness as experienced in the similar Cast Away or 127 Hours but everything came together too easily for my taste.

LET'S WRAP IT UP...

By no means is this a disappointing or bad film.

This film is a remarkable and beautiful piece of work.  Director Ridley Scott and writer Drew Goddard have adapted this story onto the screen incredibly well and I think it is one of the best science-fiction works to have been on the silver screen in the past few years.  I personally preferred Gravity or last year's Interstellar, but The Martian can be easily held next to those names.

The cast is brilliant, the soundtrack is foot-stomping and the overall message is an important one, full of hope and perseverance.

I just would have preferred Matt Damon to go through a little bit more trouble.  And there's no harm in that.

Rating - 8/10

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