Based on the hype about The Martian, both the book and the movie, I expected great things, but I didn’t know what shape those great things would take.
Matt Damon played the main character, so come on, it had to be good, right? And it’s about space travel and near future sci-fi stuff—another checkmark in the box.
I haven’t read the book, so my review is based solely on the merits of the movie.
Plot
The best way I can describe The Martian is, extraterrestrial survival story. Any tale of survival in the face of tremendous difficulties is cause for a fascinating account. Transplant that to a hostile planet in the void of space, and every aspect of the story takes on new tension, extra difficulty, higher stakes.
The plot for The Martian doesn’t derive its potency from high-speed chases, complex mysteries, battles against maniacal villains bent on destroying things, or any of the other action-heavy elements many movies depend on nowadays for success.
Rather, it lets the weight of the situation propel the story forward. Apart from a few heart-pounding moments, the action was quiet but intense.
And it worked.
Who knew the mundane process of growing potatoes could be a sufficient replacement for the crackling action that typically holds people’s attention?
The question of whether Mark Watney would survive, and how the efforts to rescue him would succeed or fail, played the central role.
Setting
It was amazing. Mysterious. Otherworldly. The movie did a superb job of capturing the hostile beauty of Mars, from the jutting buttes and breathtaking vistas to the raging storms and barren loneliness.
Since the time I went to the Kennedy Space Center when I was thirteen, I’ve been fascinated with space travel, rockets, NASA missions, and space vehicles. Heck, when I was sixteen, I built an Apollo CSM out of cardboard.
Over the past several years that passion waned as writing took hold, but The Martian reminded me why Apollo 13 used to be my favorite movie and took me back to the excitement I felt when I imagined venturing into the starry void and exploring planets far from the comfort and safety of earth.
The setting—with all its pieces and intricacies, was a major part of my love for space travel, and the one presented by The Martian definitely appealed to my craving for new worlds and uncharted lands, where dreams for a short time become reality.
Characters
Matt Damon nailed his role as Mark Watney, capturing the nerdy intelligence you’d expect from a botanist. Stranded on Mars, he showed the resilience of human nature in the face of crisis, but tempered the circumstances with some great humor.
The rest of the crew had a smaller portion of screen time, but they portrayed a sense of camaraderie and friendship through their good-natured joking, and their loyalty to their lost crewmember was realistic and moving.
I didn’t expect there to be so much humor, but it stood out as one of my favorite elements of the movie. One-liners and witty comebacks were as plentiful as Middle-earth costumes on Hobbit Day, and several exchanges had laughter rippling through the audience.
Including one scene that made my day as a geek.
IT. WAS. PRICELESS.
Conclusion
There’s some swearing and crude humor, and the f-bomb is dropped a couple times, but otherwise it was clean.
Ultimately, I’m torn on what rating I’d give. It was a solid movie—entertaining, believable, inspiring. It was far from boring. On the other hand, it wasn’t mind-blowing. It didn’t pick me up by the shirt and cast me into a story that made my head spin in giddy, geeky joy.
Not riveting, but definitely worth seeing—in the theater if possible. Since this is a movie about space exploration, it seems fitting to hand out a star rating. A solid 3.5 to 4.
Have you seen The Martian? Did you enjoy it, and why or why not? I would love to hear your thoughts.
