The Martian review

By Christopher K House

Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, a biologist/astronaut in this adaptation of Andy Weir's 2011 science fiction book. The Martian begins on a desolate planet in an unknown time. There is no back story, how we got there, what we are doing. Watney and his crew mates including Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) Chris Beck (Sebastian Shaw) Rick Martinez (Michael Pena) and Beth Johanssen (Kate Mara) experience a severe storm while outside their shelter on a mission. The storm forces an emergency evacuation and the crew head to a ship to leave the planet, all during this wild storm. Watney is injured and presumed dead, the crew leave with out him unable to recover his body. Unbeknownst to them, Watney miraculously survives the ferocious storm.

This is the setup to Ridley Scott's interpretation of this exciting 'Robinson Crusoe' story of a man stranded alone. The film felt like a weird prequel to Christopher Nolan's Interstellar in it's early trailers. Thankfully, this is able to distinguish itself apart from that "other" science fiction story. The first thing that stood out is Damon's performance. He is able to capture the audience and keep them, important in a role that is demanding like this.

Watney begins by rationing his supplies and using science to solve his problems. The film may have had flawed science but, NASA contributed over 50 pages to the script so, there was a feeling of authenticity to it. Suspension of disbelief is important going into this. Don't analyze it, just enjoy the ride.

The film had moments of "found footage" feelings to it, Watney talked to himself, recording his conversations in cameras located throughout the habitat. With moments of great humor, Damon's delivery of clever one liners was hilarious.

The ground crew, finding evidence that Watney is alive must decide the best route to take. Watney's crew, on their way back to Earth is unaware he is alive. NASA director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) decides the best choice is not to tell them so they can focus on the voyage home. This is against the wishes of flight director Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) who goes behind Teddy's back and tells them anyway. This sets in motion plans for a rescue mission. Chances are slim but, they have a chance to bring him home.

A star studded spectacle with co stars Donald Glover, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejifor The Martian was full of talented performers. Director Ridley Scott passed on directing a sequel to Prometheus in favor of this. Scott's vison of space travel was apparent here, echoing his past classic Alien in it's feel. The star of the show is Damon of course. He delivered what the film needed, a performance that made you genuinely care about the character and his plight.

The special effects were nothing short of fantastic to boot. Echoing past Oscar Winner "Gravity" there were true edge of your seat moments. At almost 2 and a half hours, it felt a bit long. That was the biggest drawback. There was too much "down time" between the interesting parts and tended to drift. All told, in the end the film was a great package. The version I saw was in 3D and I felt it was unnecessary and strained the eyes. See it in 2D, you aren't missing anything.

The Martian delivered.

Rating B+