Science fiction is a genre in the cinematic world that is in dire need of a shot in the arm of awesomeness and that arrives just in time in the form of Ridley Scott’s The Martian.
Perhaps science fiction films have relied too heavily on the bells and whistles of high tech cinematic tools than telling stories that at their root involve something that is in the title of the genre itself… cue Thomas Dolby, “Science!”
The Martian is a celebration of science and also a celebration of smart people. Imagine that. In a period in America where it appears society has been “dumbed down,” it is an utter delight to see a film that elevates the smarter segment of society and makes them the heroes and heroines and makes us believe that our future belongs in the hands of those who are in the know instead of those who are know nots.
Matt Damon stars as Mark Watley, an astronaut-botanist who is part of a Mars exploratory team combing the Red Planet’s surface for research and experiments. When NASA receives warning that a raging storm is coming their way, the call to evacuate immediately goes out and the crew races back to the ship. As the wind picks up and gravel flies everywhere, debris hits Watley and sends him far out of view from the team. His signals go dead and the team rockets off the planet, leaving him for dead.
But, as you see in The Martian trailer, he is not dead. What he is though is millions of miles from home (i.e. years from a rescue), on a planet that cannot support life, and he only has months’ worth of supplies to sustain him. What’s Watley to do? For starters, he needs to “science the shit out of this.”
And he does, and then some.
Survival is one thing, but he also must get in contact with NASA to let them know he is alive and to start the process of sending a crew to rescue him. It all adds up to one incredible thrill ride that makes you think while you are simultaneously gasping for air with Watley as his situation grows more and more dire with the calendar passing the days until what could be his extinction.
Damon is spectacular and although it is a crowded field (when is it not for actors) for Best Actor, the former nominee deserves another nomination for this film. But, unlike Tom Hanks in Castaway, he doesn’t have to carry the film on his shoulders. Sure, he’s alone on Mars, but there is an entire team on Earth working to rescue him and there is also his crew on their voyage home that will factor into this potential rescue as well. It all adds up to a firebrand performance piece for Damon, but one that is also a unique supporting ensemble thespian thrill ride as well.
Jessica Chastain leads the Mars crew and she is her usual awesome self. Joining her is Michael Pena (who seems to be everywhere lately, and we could not be happier about that), Sebastian Stan and Kate Mara. The stellar cast continues with those Earthbound souls who are working tirelessly to bring Watley home including Jeff Daniels as the head of NASA and Chiwetel Ejiofor as one of the lead scientists on the Mars mission.
Although quite the ensemble, this is still very much the Damon and Scott show. Scott has not worked with a source material this good in years, if even decades. The book by Andy Weir and screenplay by Drew Goddard is the most directly filmable thing that Scott has brought to life in some time. Scott soars. What he does with his camera and his pacing and everything else up on the screen during The Martian is, frankly, out of this world.
Grade: A+