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    The Martian

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    When I first saw trailers for “The Martian” I was instantly hooked. The story of a castaway… on another planet? Sign me up! Then I heard reactions from the trailer, how the plot is ludicrous, that there’s no way NASA would attempt a rescue mission because those astronauts know what they’re getting into and such an endeavor would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Rest assured, there’s nothing about this movie that’s ludicrous. It all makes sense and as an extra kicker, it’s one heck of a ride. This is the kind of movie where you better make sure to apply some deodorant beforehand, otherwise your neighbors’ attention will be diverted by your perspiration.

    Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, an astronaut who finds himself stranded on Mars when a sudden storm forces the crewmembers of the Ares iii to abort their mission. While the world watches, he must find ways to survive using every bit of ingenuity at his disposal.

    While the main character is undoubtedly Mark, there’s a lot more going on here than you expect. This film is like your average “Cast Away” story, with the amount of danger cranked up to a nearly unfathomable level. It’s one thing being stuck alone on a rock you can’t escape, but our hero isn’t even on a planet that can sustain life, the average temperature on the surface is a cool -55°C, there’s no water, no air, limited supplies and only because they were left behind when everyone else left in a hurry and on top of all that, he has to figure out a way to contact NASA, who assumes he died. This is a story that doesn’t need a villain because the odds are stacked so high that you have no idea how he’s going to make it past the 30 day mark, never mind find a way home.

    The titular Martian is just a fraction of what you have to look forward to. What the previews don’t show you is the other side of the story, the part where everyone on Earth is scrambling to figure out what to do. When is it the right time to release images that prove that Mark Watney survived? Oh wait, there’s no choice because NASA is a government organization and they only have a 24-hour window before they’re compelled to divulge the information. How do we figure out how to break it to the world that X is going on, that our plan is Y or that our solution to that thing that went wrong is Z? It’s a maze of bureaucratic decisions, PR nightmares, stressed-out departments attempting to work in unison with punishingly tight deadlines… and all that while trying to coordinate actions with someone whose answers take 24 minutes to reach Earth.

    What had me gripped about “The Martian” is that this is a story that’s filled to the brim with intelligence. Everyone has to think on his or her feet at all times. It’s about making calculations to ensure that the trajectory of this shuttle will be just right so they don’t have to expend too much fuel, or about doing the math to figure out exactly how long supplies can last. Our protagonist becomes a real Robinson Crusoe, using every little stray bit of plastic wrap or discarded piece of Earth technology to last that extra day. You’re always sitting there wondering “what are they going to come up with next? ” in the most excited way possible.

    This movie celebrates intelligence; it shows you the dangers of space travel and makes you feel unbridled terror as you realize the loathsome void that is the universe outside of Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a story where a piece of duct tape folding onto itself can mean death by suffocation. And it’s also quite often very funny. The last thing I expected was to laugh out loud, but I did, and frequently too. You know how even in the worst situations you can find humor in things? Well that happens a lot here. It’s because this film by Ridley Scott is a masterwork of character development and relationships. We have 14, yes that’s right 14 characters prominently featured at one point or another, all of which have real life to them, personalities and real interacts between the other people their interact with. I was also impressed with the fact that we have major characters of different ethnicities present… and the fact that they are Chinese, Black or Latino in no way shape their characters. It’s really is a world in itself because there’s so much going on here, even when it’s just two people talking via email or making a decision about something that’s going to happen millions of kilometers away.

    “The Martian” is above all else, fun. It’s thrilling, it’s funny, it makes you think and it's all based on real science! I can’t explain why or how, but I almost felt as if I wanted to be in Mark Watney’s shoes, showing to the entire world how ingenious I could be by pooling together every last bit of relevant information and surviving on a distant world. I’d be dead in a few hours but that’s the great thing about movies, they allow you to live vicariously through these fantasies brought to life. I almost forgot to mention that this is a great looking movie, one that shows off the beauty of a desolate world ruled by the solar system’s largest volcano and populated by endless craters and canyons. Even if you’re not a space travel enthusiast like myself, it’s well worth your time. (3-D theatrical version on the big screen, October 20, 2015)

    9
    HelpfulNot helpful  Reply
    adamwatchesmovies@  24.10.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

    Thank you for one of the best reviews that I have ever seen on this site. My wife and I loved it - and had read the book first.

    HelpfulNot helpful Reply
    hofdave@  11.11.2015 age: 50+ 13 reviews

    Thank YOU for the kind compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

    HelpfulNot helpful Reply
    adamwatchesmovies@  14.11.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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