Review: The Martian

The Martian is director Ridley Scott's rendition of a workplace comedy. It might be odd to describe it as such, but not entirely inaccurate. Yes, it is a science fiction survival tale but that survival is predicated on one man's ability to stay alive as teams are gathered, managed, and assigned to meet the ultimate deadline. As head of NASA Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) succinctly puts it, "Mark dies if you don't [do your best]."

Mark is astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and chemical engineer who is part of the Ares III crew that are in the midst of their mission to explore the Red Planet. A sudden storm forces the crew's commander (Jessica Chastain) to order an evacuation. Watney, injured in the hubbub, is presumed dead and left behind. For Sanders, it's a PR nightmare, another reason for the government to re-assess the space program and cut funding. Venkat Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the man in charge of Mars missions, pushes for another mission, convincing Sanders that they can frame it to the public as a retrieval assignment to bring Watney's body back home for burial.

Of course, as audiences are already aware at this point, the body in question is very much alive. Watney is played by Matt Damon who, right around this time last year, portrayed another stranded astronaut in Christopher Nolan's space opera Interstellar, which also starred Chastain. Damon also headlined Gus Van Sant's Gerry, a practically wordless wander of two hikers lost in the wilderness. Damon is an enormously charismatic actor whose charisma is derived from his relatability, and he is expert at riveting the audience's attention. Damon's Watney is as resourceful as his Interstellar character and far more talkative than in Gerry. Though Watney's plight is as Robinson Crusoe as Tom Hanks' predicament in Cast Away and Sandra Bullock's one-woman show in Gravity, Watney and The Martian are of a completely different ilk.

Familiar though the narrative may be, Watney's sardonic self-deprecation, intelligence, and cockiness ("Technically, I've colonised Mars. In your face, Neil Armstrong.") feel especially unusual. Humour has always been present in one form or another in this genre, but usually sparingly with the protagonist and primarily with the supporting cast. More importantly, such levity is relegated to the background as the dramatics bask in the spotlight. Not in The Martian. Drew Goddard, working from Andrew Weir's novel, understands that the dramatics of the tale don't need to be trussed up or fawned over. With Damon in the lead, audiences are already invested in and rooting for the character. The spotlight is coming up with solutions for the procession of problems - ranging from extending his water supply and growing food on a planet where plants do not grow to the more complicated calculations of communicating with antiquated equipment and calibrating his speed as he floats through space in the hopes of reaching his rescuers - that beset Watney and the people working to save him.

The thrill and laughter derive from Watney's ingenuity, Sanders' phlegmatic but effective command, and the teamwork of the various groups as they race to create a viable rescue plan. Teamwork is the driving force of The Martian. Watney may have the MacGyver-like skills to sustain himself for a limited period of time, but he's greatly assisted by the teams at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The latter, headed up by Bruce Ng (Benedict Wong), can barely withstand the ever-shifting specifications and escalated deadlines. If the first half of the film is devoted to Watney's cunning and grit, then the second half pays tribute to the talented minds who come together to execute solutions that increase in audacity (one plan is likened to being blasted into space in a convertible).

It is easy to forget that it is Ridley Scott at the helm given the lightheartedness of The Martian. There are no aliens threatening to puncture the flesh from within - though a Ridley Scott film set in space would not be complete without some scene of skin being pierced - in fact, there are no villains. Sanders come close, but such steeliness is necessary to make the tough calls that are part and parcel of his position. The uncommon optimism displayed by Scott is a welcome one. The Martian teems with an energy and sprightliness that belies the film's lengthy running time.

There is a purity of purpose here that has been lacking in Scott's recent efforts and, when Watney declares that he is "really looking forward to not dying," one can't help but extrapolate that onto the seventy-seven year old Scott who proves himself as artful a survivalist as Watney.

The Martian

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Written by: Drew Goddard; based on the novel by Andrew Weir

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Benedict Wong, Donald Glover, Mackenzie Davis