RECENT WATCH: THE MARTIAN

Based on Andy Weir’s bestseller of the same name, ‘The Martian’ is a sci-fi adventure about a botanist stuck on Mars and the team of people trying to get him home. The Martian is set in the near future where NASA is on to its third successful Mars mission. Presumed dead, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is left behind when his team aborts the mission during a storm. He awakes to find himself alone on Mars, needing to survive on a planet where nothing grows.

First it has to be said that Mark Watney is a great character, carrying the story, he needed an actor with a strong presence that Matt Damon definitely brings. Watney is very likeable and it’s just so enjoyable to witness his determination to survive. In a story that could so easily slip in to a morbid tale of barely cheating death, the dry humour and positive attitude of Watney keeps the tone warm and often inspiring. The Martian is a lot of fun but doesn’t forget the underlying death-at-any-minute threat to build up much needed tension. 

On earth, putting a focus on the media frenzy over an abandoned astronaut kept everything realistic. In a time where the media is often filled with death and destruction, it is so nice to witness (fictional or not) the world coming together for something positive. Kristen Wiig does a great job playing the Head of Media Relations for NASA during one of the hardest PR jobs ever.

Although often an intimate character study of our titular Martian, the ensemble cast pulls together some of the best acting talent from across the globe. The cast includes Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara and Sebastian Stan to name only a handful. With only about ten minutes of screen time together and the equivalent of instant messaging for communication, Ridley Scott still manages to develop a convincing relationship between Mark Watney and his fellow crew members. The idea that these people have spent years working together becomes truly believable. 

For a plot that literally spans across worlds, what I loved about The Martian is that the plot remains pure and simple, a quest to bring a man home. It’s this simplicity that works so well, keeping the focus on people in the most extreme of settings is the best way to keep science fiction engaging. Of course there is mind bending physics and chemistry that goes way above my head but this is explained without crossing the fine line in to patronising.

In the end The Martian is a glorious celebration of one man’s will to survive and the value of human life. It is easily one of the best films of the year.