Review of The Martian (2015) by Joanna B — 22 Feb 2016

Entertaining, dense, intriguing and emotionally powerful; showman filmmaker Ridley Scott's The Martian has delivered everything you would expect from a thrilling space rescue adventure and something you wouldn't, a good dose of humor.

When a fierce windstorm rips through the site of a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is injured, left behind and presumed dead. But even to his own surprise, he survives.

Humor and problem solving his greatest tools, Watney resourcefully and determinately sets to devising a plan for survival. Addressing the myriad of challenges; Watney grows crops in an uninhabitable environment, makes contact with people light-years away and stays sane by talking to his ever present company of non-transmitting cameras. But can his ingenuity, wit and spirit hold out until help arrives?

Adapted closely from the most unlikely of sources, The Martian is a survival movie in the extreme, successfully teetering between a Gravity-esque universal epic and a Castaway intimate solitary endeavor.

Set in the perfect tone (with only one slightly contrived geo-political misstep to detract from its cinematic value) the many strands the storyline never feel fragmented, no matter the distance between characters or believability of concept.

Damon carries the film squarely his broad shoulders and although not embraced very often, the chocker block supporting cast (Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor to mention a few) is wonderfully strong.

The Verdict: With grace and appealing irreverence, the documentation of a solitary dilemma has finally found a way to become uplifting.

Published: Canberra Weekly.

Date of Publication: 08/10/2015.