The Martian Makes it Through on Mars?

Release Date：Oct/02/2014
Genre：Adventure/Drama/Sci-fi
Director：Ridley Scott
Cast：Matt Damon、Jessica Chastain

Viola's Rating：8.7

Matt Damon is stranded and in need of rescue once again in three-time Oscar-nominated director, Ridley Scott’s film “The Martian.”

Adapted from American author Andy Weir’s 2011 interplanetary exploration novel, this adventurous sci-fi thriller is depicted as an “Apollo 13 meets Cast Away” story. It is even more interesting to cast Damon as the leading actor because his previous characters in “Interstellar” and “Saving Private Ryan” also needed to be rescued.

The plot is mainly about how astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) survives being left for dead on Mars by his crewmates after their mission is aborted because of a fierce storm. He does so by drawing upon his ingenuity, spirit and wit to find a way signal Earth that he is still alive and subsist until NASA figures out a way to attempt his rescue.

“The Martian” was released in a 3-D version as well, and the effects are especially astonishing with shots containing floating items in the spacecraft and the storm on Mars.

With most of the exterior desert scenes of Mars shot in Jordan, the staple hue of “The Martian” is red, and the other scenes which take place in NASA are basically steel grey sets. However, this doesn’t make the motion picture boring visually. The beautiful, azure blue Earth, which appears in every space-related movie, and the lively, verdant green sprouts Mark manages to grow on the barren planet help to add a vibrant contrast to the uniform Martian landscape.

Unlike some sci-fi pictures that create rather dubious scientific theories, “The Martian” presents plausible science without dumbing it down, while making it accessible for the audience. And although Mark is a high-trained scientist with a specialty in botany, the feature film presents him with a reality show vibe as he films everything he does, often with snarky commentary accompanying his detailed explanations, in order to leave a log behind, so subsequent missions can learn from his ordeal.

Besides the above-mentioned visual merits, the soundtrack also enhances “The Martian.” The score creates the mood of being alone on Mars, and it hits the audiences’ ears perfectly as we look through Mark’s eyes to scan the lonely planet all the way to the horizon. Even though we might expect “The Martian” to be a soul crushing film, moviegoers won’t feel sad watching it because the other half of the time, the upbeat disco music not only cheers Mark up, but also gives viewers a promise of hope.

“The Martian” may not be the best motion picture of the year, but it’s definitely an excellent movie which combines an amazing soundtrack, charming actor Matt Damon, spectacular visual effects and most important of all, a talented director, Ridley Scott.

Online edition version for The Aquinas of  The University of Scranton:

The Martian Makes it Through on Mars?