And so the new crop of good movies for Oscar season continues. Many people have said The Matian is Director Ridley Scott's Apollo 13 or a love letter to NASA and science, and those people are not wrong. This movie could not have come at a better time for beleaguered NASA, and I am pretty sure the recent discoveries on Mars were timed to coincide with it. Now, I can't tell you if the science is perfect in this film, but I can tell you it is one hell of a ride.
The Martian begins with our fourth manned mission to Mars. After a week into a month-long mission, the landing site is hit by a huge storm and the crew is forced to abort. As they are trying to get back to the ship, astronaut Mark Whatney (Matt Damon) is struck by debris and disappears into the storm. He shows no life signs so the crew takes off without him. It turns out, though, Watney did survive and after the storm, makes it back to the habitat. He is injured, but manages to pull through. He then has to figure out how to make supplies for six people for 30 days last for five years until a rescue mission can come and get him. That is, of course, if he can find a way to communicate with Earth since the communicator dish was destroyed...
So, the movie is a bit like Apollo 13 meets Castaway. But is is so much more than that. Like Apollo 13, it stresses that none of this is possible without a great amount of teamwork; this time, on a global scale. Scott shows why he is such a great director here by ratcheting up tension, injecting humor in all the right places, keeping a breakneck pace, showing the enormity and complexity of the problems quickly, and makes you want to go hug your old science teacher all at once. It is immensely entertaining and not to be missed. There are no good guys and bad guys, no nefarious agendas, just a bunch of very smart people who are working toward common goal. And it is a massive advertisement for NASA, still the coolest and nerdiest government organization that really knows how to sell itself.
The Martian is one of those great movies that is a testament to the human will to survive. It is an acting tour de force for Damon, since he is alone throughout most of the film. He delivers most of his exposition through a series of video logs that allow us to take stock on his personal situation at important points. It is actually an ingenious bit of storytelling to keep us grounded in Whatney's psyche. It brings real emotion and a human element to his situation that is critical for us to care what happens to him. It connects us in a very real way, whether you see him clowning around, updating us on his progress and plans, or venting his frustration. In the end, it comes down to Damon and his performance in these oddly intimate moments that make this movie work so well.
The only real complaint I have is actually not with the film, but the source material. It is a little too convenient what jobs Whatney has. He has precisely the set of skills he would need to do everything. He is a botanist and engineer, meaning he sits at the perfect intersection of growing things and fixing everything on the ship physically. He's Superbrain! But, while the movie does come up with some limitations he has that are overcome later, I ultimately felt it was a little too neat. I realize that all members in NASA are crossed trained in other missions as well, but Whatney seems to have every conceivable skill he would need to survive his ordeal. But in the end, this is a very minor criticism to what is an excellent movie. See it as soon as you can. You won't be disappointed.
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