Movie review 'The Martian’: Can you read me?
The film features all the classic Hollywood science-fiction clichés
By : suraj prasad
Update: 2015-10-03 06:11 GMT
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: 3.5 stars
Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, an astronaut left stranded on Mars when the most recent mission goes awry. He is left to die to spare the lives of the other crew and yet against all odds Watney survives and stuns observers on Earth who try out various plans to rescue him. Watney is faced with circumstances beyond any human capability and he bears it, in the tradition of Damon’s best performances, with a straight face and a humorous personality. The tone of the first half of the film is slow but rhythmic.
It looks at Mars as a place where survival is about tactical day-to-day decisions. To be alone is difficult, but to be left alone on a planet that has no sign of life is a completely different ball game. Watney, depending on how you see it, is ignorant of the gravity of his situation, or rather he is too cool to be Tom Hanks in Cast Away and talk to a football. Watney sees his situation as an opportunity. He accepts “This is all that I have”, thinks creatively and engages with his surroundings.
The rest of the cast is pretty much what you will come across in all similar science fiction movies. It is interesting to see how Nasa collaborates and responds swiftly to a task. It provides us an understanding of the dynamics of space missions. It brings to focus how various agencies collaborate to achieve the great feat for humanity. Despite this, the film does not shy away from highlighting the technological differences between the US and other countries, indicating that China National Space Administration should retain old technology and mix with the new, it can come in handy when least expected, even an old radio. In this it asserts an American exceptionalism of false modesty.
The drama of the film is that with all the technological advancements and intellectual capital, the Red Planet might be within reach but it’s still too far for a simple trip to rescue the stranded astronaut. The space organisations note that it will take 500 plus days in orbit. The supers regularly appear on the screen to warn you against false hope. But at essence, The Martian is a larger than life science fiction adventure geared to provide thrills and drive you to grab a jetpack and strap on thrusters and head to the Red Planet.
The film features all the classic Hollywood science-fiction clichés. The original elements of the first half, dealing with life on Mars is buttressed and made entertaining by tropes like an excitable and agitated Mission Control on Earth. The invisible countdown and approaching crisis that needs to be stopped in the nick of time, the final last minute rescue and, of course, having your cake and eating it too. The film might have started with an astronaut mission gone awry but in the end the dreamer gets his wish and takes to the sky-like Iron Man.
Ridley Scott prefers visual communication and grandiose presentation. Unlike Nolan, he does not confuse you with complicated jargon. The lone complicated dialogue exchange concerns computer specialist Mindy Park who informs you about going into stealth mode. Interestingly, emergency communication is conducted in American Standard Code for Information Interchange, rather than the familiar, if outdated, Morse code, a holdover as a correlative for emergency communication from shipwreck tales on which many early “Stranded-In-Planet” stories are based on.
The visual atmosphere of Mars is truly exciting to see. It allows one to fantasise about visiting Mars. Funnily enough, the movie also says that Mars might not be as fun as you would think. The greater distance between Mars and the Sun won’t permit the currently fashionable trendy solar energy. I felt sorry to see Watney waiting for 13 hours to charge his batteries using solar panels. Which means that what will take us and keep us on Mars is the continuous drilling for fossil fuels.
As the French say, the more things change, the more it stays the same. Or as the Internet slang goes: more money, more problems. Ridley Scott immerses you into Mars, much as he did for ancient Rome in Gladiator. The overall experience is uplifting. You have experienced Mars in as much detail as possible. For me, the sequence of the space ride in a convertible, the sequence where Matt Damon defies the laws of space travel and flies is unforgettable. Go watch this movie, perhaps travelling to Mars will remain a dream for humanity, but it’s worth dreaming and it’s worth seeing.
The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society