Alright, its time to start October with a great big bang! Or should I say “Lift off!”, as we take a gander at the new blockbuster film from veteran director Ridley Scott, The Martian! Featuring the likes of Matt Damon, Sean Bean, Donald Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor this is the story of a NASA operation on the surface of Mars. However things go wrong in a storm and one of the team, Mark Watney is blown away and presumed dead. Against all odds, he survives but is now left with new problems: No way back to Earth, no way to call Earth, and a limited food supply. Until anyone realises that Watney is still alive, he must start adapting to a new life on the Red Planet….
First and foremost, this film is beautiful. Especially in 3D. Now that is a statement you will hear me say very often, since I’ve never had much faith in 3D. But 3D works here for the same reason that it works in the Martian for the same reason it worked in Dredd. Because the film gives you time to appreciate just how much the 3D effect adds to the atmosphere triggered by the landscape. The shots which hang over the deserts of the Red Planet is allowed to just pan over, to give the viewer long moments to drink in the landscape, and through it the situation. Mars is breathtaking in its emptiness, mountains and deserts that give the impression of being untouched by human feet for billions of years. The sound and music is also immersive, with the near silence of space aside from the breathing and muted impacts, to the contrasting music. On the one hand, there is the familiar, trendy disco music of Earth, and on the other, the unfamiliar, alien tones of Mars.
Fun Fact: This film is based on a novel by Andy Weir, who simply posted chapters of his story for free on his blog. Eventually, fans persuaded him to make his story downloadable, and then to publish it on Amazon for downloading on Kindle at the minimum price of $0.99.
The tone of the film is, above all else one of wonder: As I said before, there is an empty, dangerous beauty given to Mars, and also the structure and design of the spaceship Hermes, as the crew floats through to different rooms. Also there are the scientific experiments on a smaller scale, such as the process of generating water, growing food and the salvaging of old equipment from previous NASA missions. The narrative is told in the style of a dramatised documentary, which the days being recorded, along with the introduction of each character and their position. The different style to this kind of film that works in its own curious way. Although it does give off one of the very few problems I have about the film.
And that problem is that I feel like, at least in the first half of the film, it felt too….comfortable. In fact, Watney seems to take the concept of being trapped alone on another planet with no breathable atmosphere, no way to grow food and limited supplies a little too well. There’s no real moment where he breaks down, or where the danger of the situation starts to dawn on him, allowing him to pull himself together. He just goes straight to work. Also I feel like Donald Glover overdid the ‘clumsy, weird but undoubted genius’ trope. Doesn’t mean it’s not fun to watch…just a little too much. Plus, could you really believe that ‘3005’ Donald Glover can be THAT quirky?
Fun Fact: NASA has had a LOT of influence in the development of this film. Before filmmakers can portray NASA in a film, they need to get permission. NASA will then judge how seriously the filmmakers are taking the subject and also if the facts are scientifically sound. 50 pages of the Martian script is material from NASA. Also, two days before the film’s release, NASA had tweeted about the discovery of briny water on Mars. Yet in the film, creating water literally from scratch was one of the important plot points in the film.
This brings me to the rest of the characters. Mark Watney is infinitely enjoyable to watch: Smart, and also able to see the bright side even in the worst of situations. Seeing him come to the weirdest and witty conclusions about everything that happens throughout the film. You really do feel like one of the crowds on Earth cheering for him to come home. As for the others, I think its Vincent Kapoor and Rich Purnell that stands out, due to the former’s earnestness and the latter’s OTT awkwardness. But it’s mostly Watney’s story, almost all of the other characters feel like they are in the sidelines.
The real drama and tension starts in the second half, when things start to go wrong. I do think that things should have started to get difficult earlier in the film, but I’m not too fussed about it. Also, I do like the media presence, and just how public the situation gets, but I also like how they don’t take the tired route of the debate whether they should save him or leave him to die for the sake of ‘whatever they have to lose’. It makes things as simple but smart as possible.
Fun Fact: The biggest inaccuracy in the story (both film and novel) is believe it or not present at the beginning. The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars is an average of 600 Pa, which is only 0.6% of Earth’s mean sea level pressure of 100kPa. It is so low that a ‘fierce storm’ on Mars would be like a breeze that at worst messes up your hair.
Finally, let me just say that the last 25 minutes of the film was probably some of the most tense and gripping moments I have seen. Throughout that sequence, I was literally on the edge of my seat, stomach twisting with the chaotic camerawork, and the emptiness surrounding the characters. All the risks taken, stops pulled. You could feel the desperation and determination, emotions running high. Honestly, the film was worth watching just for that scene.
Overall, I give The Martian a high recommendation of 9 out of 10. It is a really beautiful film, both in visuals, music and the science behind it all, that becomes almost magical in how wondrous it is portrayed. The characters are mostly enjoyable to watch, particularly Watney and his adventures, and although the film starts quite low-key in the beginning, it starts to really pick up, granting an epic conclusion to an epic film. And like I said, very rare you will hear me say this, but I recommend watching this in 3D. That alone speaks volumes of how much I like this film.
Words Create Worlds 