The Martian: An ode to positive thinking
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Movie Review – The Martian
This week I was finally able to take a few hours off and catch The Martian while it’s still in theaters. I wasn’t too familiar with the story beforehand, I was mostly aware of it through the huge hype and rave reviews that the book has had since its re-release in 2014.
My sole knowledge was that the plot consisted of an astronaut – Mark Watney played by Matt Damon – who’s left stranded by accident on a mission to Mars. The thing for me is that when it comes to Mars, when I hear the planet mentioned in any sort of Sci-Fi context, it always comes back to Ray Bradbury. On the other side, when I think of loneliness in space, my mind goes to either Solaris or 2001: A Space Odyssey. So I ran with those two pieces of information in my head and went to the theater expecting something of a mixture of those things. But all those were my expectations, not what the movie actually is.
The Martian turned out to be an ode to positive thinking and the resilience of the human spirit, a story of one man’s journey for survival through the direst circumstances imaginable. A tribute to never giving up and an outstanding celebration of science.
“I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this.”
— Mark Watney in The Martian
By focusing the story on those aspects and always bringing out the bright side, Matt Damon’s charming and funny performance in combination with Ridley Scott’s impeccable direction and the beautiful photography of Dariusz Wolski, the film overcomes some of the few character shortcomings of the screenplay. Most of the supporting characters are not really fleshed out, including to some extent Damon’s. Unfortunately, we never really get to know much about his life on Earth before this adventure, and a connection through some family or even friend mourning and hoping for his safe return would have made the story all the more touching.
The other thing that the story completely ignores is the fact that a human, would at the very least, go slightly insane after being alone for such a long time. Solitude is mentioned at some point in the film, but never becomes a real issue or is deal with. Granted, Watney devises a way to have contact with NASA early on in his journey, but the fact remains that he’s still completely alone on another planet.
But in a way, all those disregards are the things that make the film such a great success. By focusing on spirit and going for the heart instead of the mind, The Martian ends up being universally accessible and an extremely engaging and emotional experience that is easy to recommend to anyone, not just Science Fiction fans.
The Martian (2015)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Tags: movie review, movies, scifi
Eduardo,
On my list to see when I can; after reading your blog I am even more encouraged to do so given the positive “never give up” message. Because it stars Matt Damion I am tempted to say it sounds like “The Bourne Martian Ultimatum”.
Pass the popcorn I could use the escape!
Brian
Hi Brian, it is a real feel-good film, you leave the theatre feeling enthusiastic and pleased. Nothing in common with the Bourne films tough. When you see it, please come back and tell me your impressions.
Hello Eduardo, your web design is awesome I like the colors, images and for sure the content. Thank you for your review, I thought that I could wait to watch this movie on Netflix but after reading your review I cannot do it.
Dario, thank you for the compliments! If you can, go see The Martian in the theatre, it’s the king of larger-than-life story that plays a lot better on a BIG screen. Thanks for reading!
I know this an old joke already, but the US are really spending a lot of money to rescue rescue Matt Demon!
Estevan my man, thanks for coming by! Well, it depends on how you look at it, this is his best performance in a long while that’s for sure, but I also believe that he’s done a lot of good in the past. Him and Ben Affleck have helped a lot of aspiring filmmakers with their Project Greenlight show. But yeah, I get what you mean…
Actually what I meant is this http://9gag.com/gag/a9PORLL/saving-matt-damon
I love Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
LOL, ok Estevan I didn’t get that! Very funny…
Finding life on Mars is such a huge issue right now, so the movie is very timely. I haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, but it’s on my list!
Hi Mark, thanks for reading! Yes, they definitely planed the release accurately. It’s evident that the film was thought out to be a Hollywood crowd-pleaser.
After reading this post and another article of a former boss, I finally took some time last Tuesday (half price day obviously) to watch The Martian. Awesome movie! Many lessons of entrepreneurship and persistence. Thanks for the recommendation, Eduardo. Keep writing and I promise that I will keep watching.
I’m so glad you liked it Estevan! The Martian is definitely full of positive reinforcement. I’ll try to keep it interesting, thank you.
I’ve heard so many good things about this movie and I really want to see it now! Great insight Eduardo!
When you do, please come back and tell me what you think of it. Thanks for reading Jen.