Ridley Scott is a very good director. I think it would be hard to find anyone familiar with his filmography that could state otherwise. I can’t say he is one of my favorite directors though. For as many great hits that he has had I also think he has had some pretty big misses. Despite the misses I can say that one of the genres he does best in is sci-fi. He took the genre of sci-fi many years ago and made two of the greatest movies ever in Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982). When I first heard about The Martian I didn’t really get all that excited. Sure it is a sci-fi movie directed by Ridley Scott but I noticed from the trailer that it didn’t look like a dark sci-fi movie like the two previous mentioned movies. I did think the lighter comedic tone of it had promise though and I was just hoping that the comedic tone wouldn’t be too much. Fortunately it isn’t and I can safely say that The Martian is another huge hit for Ridley Scott.
The Martian is about a manned mission to Mars where an astronaut named Mark Whatney (Matt Damon) is left behind after a huge storm hits and he is presumed dead by the rest of his crew. On Earth NASA lead by Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) strategizes with Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) and Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) on ways on how to get Whatney home. Meanwhile Whatney is stranded and only left with limited supplies. Now he has to figure out a way to keep from starving and use science to solve any other potentially dangerous problem he faces living on a dangerous deserted planet like Mars.
I really liked this movie mostly because of the performance given by Matt Damon. He plays his character in a sarcastic and witty way that works. The movie is given a comedic tone due to the humorous optimism and scientific solving skills that Whatney has. I haven’t seen Damon give this good of a performance since The Informant! (2009). After seeing him in the disappointing Elysium (2013) as a brooding character it was nice to see him play an upbeat sarcastic smartass. Damon’s performance isn’t all funny though. He still brings it from a dramatic end and delivers there although there isn’t much of that because I feel that this movie was trying to deliver a very optimistic message when it comes to how we use and view science. I think Tomorrowland from earlier this year tried to do something very similar, but I just don’t think it came even close to being as successful as The Martian.
This movie has one of the best all star casts I have seen in a while. Jeff Daniels still proves in this movie that he has a ton of range playing the head of NASA. Chiwetel Ejiofor also does a very good job playing the Mars mission coordinator. Ejiofor became a star in his stunning starring role in 12 Years a Slave (2013) and with more roles like this I think he will prove to be one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. I also really liked the fact that actor, stand up comic, and rapper Donald Glover had a small role in this. If anyone deserves to be cast in big movies it is that guy. I can also say the same for Mackenzie Davis who has mostly appeared in indie movies and has also been really good starring in the AMC TV show Halt and Catch Fire.
I think this movie is really going to connect with people because it has very good timing. Science is really popular among the Millennial generation right now and it doesn’t look like that trend will be letting up any time soon. With interesting shows like Cosmos and popular websites like I F**ing Love Science (iflscience.com) this movie has been able to tap into the lexicon of modern culture and our obsession with science which is a subject that is now considered cool. Matt Damon’s character of Mark Whatney is interesting because he encompasses all of these characteristics. He is funny and sarcastic and is obviously really into science. If the website I F**ing Love Science could be melted down and transformed into a person it would basically become Mark Whatney. Unlike most modern heroes in movies he has to use his knowledge of science and pull off some big MacGyver moments to work towards surviving in the harsh conditions that exist on Mars.
I think some people may be a bit turned off by the upbeat nature of the movie. I get that because we have become very use to seeing somber indie and Oscar-bait movies around this time of the year. I personally think that The Martian has just enough somber moments with Matt Damon’s character that it keeps him from just being a wisecracking clown. If there are any faults with this movie I would say that it has a somewhat predictable plot considering we have seen similar stories in other modern movies like All Is Lost (2013) and Gravity (2013). Those movies are quite a bit somber in comparison to The Martian which doesn’t make them any better or any worse than The Martian, but I feel that this movie is exactly what society needs right now. Even with some of the predictable plot the movie was still able to build tension and made me root for Mark Whatney all the way up to the end. Due to the great character in Mark Whatney and the great little scientific nuances scattered throughout I can safely say that this is one of my favorite movies to come out this year.
Dave’s Rating- ★★★★★(5) out of ★★★★★(5)
