The film opens to Matt Damon very nearly dying. Well, we as the audience know he survives, but to everybody else concerned (and believe me: that concerns plenty of people), Mark Watney dies while the crew are leaving the iconic red planet. And so, as the crew of six becomes five, we discover that Mark is holding on to his dwindling life by a delicate thread. Soon after waking up, Mark comes to the realisation that he will most likely die on Mars; unless he can somehow survive for literally years and inform NASA of his existence.
It's a pretty brilliant premise, and one which feels relatively similar to something like 127 Hours or Castaway in its execution. Here we have a survivalist who, against all apparent odds, must survive long enough to escape his natural prison - and what a prison it is. Ridley Scott presents the Martian planet in beautiful, desolate wide-shots that really give a sense of just how isolated a man would feel when he is literally the only human being on an entire planet. Surprisingly, there's also a vast amount of comedy based around this premise, which was hinted at in the trailers: "I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the best botanist on the entire planet." This is appropriate, as the book also depicted Watney as a very charismatic individual; perhaps more so than the movie manages to achieve. Regardless, Matt Damon is fairly excellent in the role, and adds hugely to the overall entertainment that the film provides.
But he's far from alone in the stellar acting department. It would take too long to name every famous actor present in The Martian, so here's just a few familiar names: Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Donald Glover, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It's a star-studded cast to say the least, and nobody is particularly wasted throughout the movie. Sure, because of the sheer amount of talent present, it's understandable that some characters receive less limelight than others, but everybody gets their chance to shine. Saying that, I was a tad disappointed that Michael Peňa had little chance to flex his comedic muscles, but only because he was probably one of the funniest parts of the recent Ant Man.
There's a fair amount of contention over one aspect of the movie, however: the run-time. It may only be 2 hours and 20 minutes long, but certain segments do seem to drag a little, and there's a scene added at the end (that wasn't in the book) which feels inconsequential to the overall story. I won't spoil anything, but the film's ending wouldn't have been worsened at all if this scene had simply been removed.
I'd also like to make a particular mention for the soundtrack - both original score, as well as existing songs incorporated into the movie. Though David Bowie's Life on Mars? might have been too obvious, there's still his equally iconic Starman featured, as well as other 80s classics from ABBA and, going even further back, The O'Jays. Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, the juxtaposition of futuristic space travel with memorable songs made the film feel a little more grounded in reality. Additionally, the score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (who played a large role in the Metal Gear Solid games) is just as mesmerising, and really evokes a sense of films like Alien - also by Ridley Scott.
Verdict
While not quite as incredible as I'd hoped it would be, The Martian is still well worth your time. If not for the catchy soundtrack full of disco, then you ought to see it for Matt Damon's pretty spot-on portrayal of Mark Watney in his isolated home. You might be yawning towards the end, but it's still a movie that's not going to be a waste of your time.
"I'm gonna have to science the shit out of this."
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