I went to see The Martian with zero expectations and came out feeling awesome. It’s a good surprise this year, as Ridley Scott finally offers a refreshing look on the typical space disaster movie genre.
Mark Watney is presumed dead after an accident occurs on Mars and his crew was forced to leave him behind. Through his knowledge, ingenuity, and wit, he’s going to try to survive on Mars, while trying to put together a plan to contact the earth.
I loved every bit of that movie, every nonsense thing, every pun and joke, just everything. What is so different about The Martian you’d ask? Well, first the main character doesn’t go on an epic I need to get out of here real fast freak out. The fact that he analyzes what’s happening and comes up with a decent living arrangement for a disastrous situation is awesome and somewhat new.
Of course, apart from the atmosphere, he doesn’t face any direct threats to his life. Considering, it’s a bit more relaxed than drifting off in space (though he does it by the end) or being face to face with an alien. But still, he could have just moped around but decided to look at the bright side of the situation.
The second point is the humor. It’s surprisingly funny and makes the whole charm of the plot. In between Watney’s jokes about piracy and what we can see back at NASA, you’re not bored one minute. The third point would be the special effects. It’s stunning, the team behind it did an amazing job!
I didn’t expect to like a movie with Matt Damon that much, and to love his performance. I don’t dislike him, but he’s not exactly the best actor out there. I discovered his comic side and I’m loving it, he should do more comedies. He handled that character with real acting skills. The scene that most impressed me is when he is rescued. He looks so tired, he’s scared, and even if he’s still trying to crack a joke, he just wants to go home. The emotions going through him gave me chills.
The rest of the cast is simply awesome, even if some people are only there to serve as decorations. It’s an interesting combination of actors, from all walks of this industry, and it works well.
The Martian made me think a lot about the training of their astronauts. Of course, it’s a work of fiction, and a lot of things aren’t real but when you look at it, the problem was well handled. Nobody died, the rescue mission succeeded, and NASA contained the media. I still wonder in real life, how does the training go? What are they taught to do if this particular situation were to occur? If it’s anything like what happened in the film, well it’s pretty good! Though I’ll admit I’m not quite sure about the whole “ducktape and a tarpaulin can fix anything even in space” thing.
The Martian earned 6 nominations at the Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor, and I wish nothing but the best for this team!
Rating: 4/5
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MARTIAN?
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