At a time when the general populace seems to be growing more
and more distrustful of science and the term “intellectual” is thrown around as
an insult, a film like “The Martian” may hold the potential to tip the scales
back in science’s favor. Committed to making the science half of their
science-fiction tale feel as real as possible, director Ridley Scott and
screenwriter Drew Goddard (“Cabin in the Woods”) focus on the technical
details, delivering an ode to human ingenuity and smarts wrapped in an
entertaining survival adventure tale. Demonstrating the power of problem
solving and making science and math look cool, “The Martian” is in many ways
the aspirational film “Tomorrowland” hoped to be.
Based on
Andy Weir’s best-selling novel, “The Martian” finds Matt Damon playing Mark Watney, an astronaut inadvertently left behind and believed
to be dead after a NASA exploration mission to Mars goes awry. Stranded on an
inhospitable planet, Watney must improvise
to survive, calling upon his skills as a botanist to come up with ways to
provide himself with food (potatoes prove crucial), water, and oxygen to
survive. He must also somehow contact NASA, knowing that even if he succeeds,
it may be four years before another manned mission can reach him. To make
matters worse, he only has an endless catalog of disco music and “Happy Days”
reruns for entertainment.
As the nerdy
Watney, Damon delivers a straight-up movie star turn;
the character’s sardonic sense of humor makes him a charming and compelling
hero. And while “The Martian” is mostly Damon’s film, he’s supported by cast of
ringers. The rest of the Mars crew is rounded out by Jessica Chastain, Michael
Peña, Kate Mara, and Sebastian Stan. Meanwhile back on Earth, we get Jeff
Daniels as the Director of NASA, Kristen Wiig as the exec handling this PR
disaster, along with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, and Sean Bean as the
scientists and engineers searching for a way to get their boy back as quickly
as possible.
Offering the
singular joy of watching smart, capable people do intelligent things, “The
Martian” celebrates the best aspects of humanity, which is something we
don’t get enough of these days. Even the plot’s inevitably predictable outcome
doesn’t ruin the film’s effectiveness. With its hopeful message that however
screwed up things get, by working together we can accomplish amazing things,
“The Martian” tells us to put some faith in science, intelligence, and the human
spirit. And maybe also disco music.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2015.
