The Martian★★★★3/4
Left for dead on Mars
How does he get back to Earth
Bring home Matt Damon
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead.
I have not read the book version of The Martian, nor did I know much about the plot before watching the movie. I knew the basic gist, however—rescue Matt Damon from a very perilous situation. (The U.S. has apparently spent a lot of money on this task.)
Unlike the similar stranded-astronaut role Matt played in Interstellar, the role of Mark Watney is a delight. You might think that someone who gets stranded on Mars would completely lose his sense of humor, but thankfully that's far from the case. In general, I prefer roles in which Matt is able to be genial, since he just seems like a supremely likeable human being, and Mark Watney fits that preference to a T.
The rest of the cast, featuring the likes of Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Michael Peña, Donald Glover—I know, right?—are all also excellent, even if their roles are limited when compared with Matt's.
And because it takes place on Mars (for the most part), The Martian is a gorgeous film. I'm not entirely sure how accurate the scenery was, but I'm definitely a fan of the landscape. The CGI is also pretty impeccable. Everything—even the parts that obviously weren't—felt so real. That said, I couldn't help but think about my high school dream to become an astronaut and laugh. I get motion sick so easily; I never would have made it past the first day of zero-G training.
The Martian is a surprisingly funny, at times anxiety causing, overall fantastic film. Now, to check out the book.
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