Review 366: The Martian

OMG - The Martian is contemporary Sci Fi Classic.

Based on the novel, The Martian by Andy Weir, In the year 2035, the crew of the Ares III are forced to abort their mission during a dust storm but leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.

Oh man, where do I begin, firstly the plot is a work of pure genius, much of this can attributed to author Andy Weir in-depth research about what it take to survive on Mars, giving this film an almost realistic atmosphere. You can really believe this actually can happen. I’m just going to say it: Who doesn’t love Matt Damon & Mars?

As a sci fi film, where it's a lot of talking and debate a scientific mumbo jumbo, director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard pump the movie up with air put a lot of attention to detail into the narrative, everything Mark Watney does is done with painstaking detail and liven up with lots of lightheartedness it's entertaining as well as educational.

Another wonderful aspect about this movie is how funny it is, the bulk of the situation being that Mark Watney conjures up loads of wise cracks, jokes and other funny lines to keep himself optimistic during his survival on Mars, most of it curiosity of him making video logs of his progress. 
Which is ironic as this film is about a very downbeat, depressing and rather hopeless situation and yet this film manages to remain quite lighthearted and humorous.

Not only is it a hilarious, smart and touching sci-fi film, it’s also a story about survival, courage and intelligence: Mark Watney is trapped in a seemingly no-win situation, facing seemingly impossible odds with only limited resources and no outside help and is forced to face the very real possibility that he is going to die on Mars of all places. And yet he faces his fears, picks himself up, applies himself, improvises and perceives armed with only a few leftovers, a hab, his wits, his own scientific knowledge as well as a desperate desire to survive. Brave is the man who fights. Beaver is the man who’s afraid and fights nonetheless. 

Ridley Scott's direction is precise, the way he balances all the different tones (sic fi, drama, comedy) is just astounding and unprecedented and keeps us engaged all the way through. The production design is absolutely fantastic, The Hab is built with such attention to detail it's mind boggling and the vision of Mars is just mind blowing. I even want to go there on vacation. This is the kind of detail Ridley Scott and his team are interested in and make The Martian a gripping peice of science fiction.
The costumes are excellent and really help give off the high tech futuristic future this film is trying to create. The scenery is breathtaking (the film opens with some a hint of the majestic Martian scenery) the cinematography is beautiful, the special effects are seamless, the score by Harry Gregson-Williams is terrifically catchy, the special effects are simply seamless, the props are superbly crated and beautifully detailed and add to the films environment. 

The acting is a sensational ensamble, Matt Damon shines here, he carries this film from start to finish with a heartfelt, optimistic performance filled with wise cracks, technobabble and a dozen pop culture references. Mark Watney is a guy who is caught in one of the worst situations, he gets stranded on Mars of all places with little to no hope of survival or escape and yet when everything that can go wrong, goes wrong for him, he finds the good in it and that's what fuels his drive and need for survival.
The most remarkable aspect of Mark Watney, not just as a character, but as a person, is his boundless optimism, 

However his supporting cast members don't lag that far behind, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Mackenzie Davis, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Benedict Wong, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels all receive a chance to shine.

They all play their part to bring Watney back to Earth. The whole NASA operation to bring Witney back home is covered, intricately with intelligence, with and an eye for detail.
The ethical issues of how they're going to retrieve Watney and wether and when his crew should find out are not glossed 

I think The Martian is absolutely tremendous, 5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.