The Martian proves there is life for movies about Mars

Twentieth Century Fox

Hollywood has had a love-hate relationship with movies about or set on Mars. The 1950s and 60s saw hit films like War of the Worlds, Invaders from Mars and Robinson Crusoe on Mars (and even the campy Mars Needs Women), but Mars hasn’t been such a good luck charm at the box office of late with duds like Mars Attacks (which has developed a cult following), Ghosts of Mars and Red Planet. Disney was so worried about the M-word that they removed the “of Mars” from John Carter‘s title.

But things are about to change now that Mars is all the rage again. Probably coincidentally, NASA announced only days before the film was scheduled to open that they found running salt water on the Red Planet and that can only help stir interest in Ridley Scott’s latest film The Martian (in much the same way the meltdown at Three Miles Island helped turn The China Syndrome into a hit in 1979).

In The Martian, Matt Damon stars as astronaut Mark Watney, part of a team on a scientific mission to Mars. The end of their mission is imminent, but a raging storm forces them back to their ship before the winds tip it over, leaving them stranded. In the blinding storm, a large piece of the antenna breaks off, striking Watney, cutting off his signal beacon, and leaving the others believing he’s dead. They launch in the knick of time and head back to earth.

On earth, everyone believes Watney is dead, there are memorial services for him and then … it turns out he’s not dead. The debris knocked out his signal and impaled him a bit, leaving him to get back to the shelter and perform staple surgery on himself. After finally repairing the radio, he contacts earth and breaks the news to them that he is indeed alive. But, NASA officials don’t want to tell the crew that he survived for the fear that they will turn back and try to rescue him, stranding or killing them all. And the next mission to Mars isn’t scheduled for another four years, so everyone must work together to come up with a solution to bring Watney home. Luckily, Watney is a botanist and discovers a way to grow potatoes and make water with the items he has on hand, enough to sustain him, along with the food stores left behind, until NASA can find a way to get more supplies to him. Of course, none of this is as easy as it sounds, and when the crew learns their friend is alive, they must also make a life or death decision and risk court-martial if they disobey NASA’s orders to return home.

The Martian is an emotional rollercoaster as we go on this perilous journey with Watney. We cheer when he makes water and cringe when a disaster destroys all that he created. We laugh at his comments about the musical choices of his captain (classic disco, which becomes the film’s soundtrack), and we cry every time a glimmer of hope fades away. And on top of all of the emotions, the film really strives to get the science right. It’s never going to go over the heads of the audience members, but it’s never dumbed-down to where it just becomes insulting. Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard have managed to keep a good balance between entertainment and information, and perhaps the film will actually inspire in the process.

It’s easy to compare The Martian to Cast Away with Tom Hanks, but I found this film and its lead character much more engaging. You wanted Hanks’ character to get home, but he was on an island so it wasn’t like he was in danger of dying at any moment. Watney is on Mars. He can’t just roam around looking for food. He’s always in a spacesuit while outside of the base, and inside water, air and food are at a premium. One tiny tear or hole in his suit or the shelter, and he’s done for. Watney’s situation is that much more urgent, especially since help isn’t just over the horizon. He can’t send smoke signals to get attention. And Matt Damon’s Watney is a much more engaging person to be stranded with than Hanks’ Chuck Noland. The other plus is that it’s not just two hours of Damon. The cast is filled with familiar faces including Jessica Chastain, Kristin Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean (who gets a good LOTR reference), Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier himself), Donald Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Scott and his production team have created a visually stunning (and dare I say accurate) depiction of Mars with location choices and stunning special effects. Scott also employs the 3D process to great effect, allowing us to experience the vastness of Mars, the long corridors of the spaceship, and the horrors of a sandstorm. It may not be constantly poking you in the eye, but the 3D actually serves the story in this case and should be the preferred way to see the film.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say The Martian is one of the year’s best films and should get some love come awards season. It’s a film that can be enjoyed by almost all ages, and a film that will leave you feeling like you’ve just seen something very special afterwards. With all of the summer’s loud blockbusters behind us, it’s refreshing to see another blockbuster of a film that doesn’t need things blowing up every few minutes to excite and engage the audience. The Martian has finally broken the Mars movie curse.