In Ridley Scott's new extra-terrestrial epic, "The Martian", Matt Damon gets left behind on Mars after being presumed dead by his fellow astronauts. It is a tail of overcoming adversity, survival, and perseverance. I saw a meme on Facebook that questions how much time and money we must spend on bringing Matt Damon back home. From "Saving Private Ryan" to "Interstellar" and now this space opera, we frequently find him in a crisis in which his retrieval to a safe place back in the Old United States is of utmost importance. That's not to say that "The Martian" is not entertaining and riveting at times. But in its placement on Mars, Ridley Scott's film is really only retelling and relocating stories of survival from countless other Hollywood films. I was most prominently reminded of "Castaway" but its been done many times in film and literature.
I was also troubled by the film's expectations on the viewer in making them feel so much investment in one man's life. With all the genocide, murder, and brutality occurring around the world each minute, how are we as viewers supposed to feel emotional consideration for this one lone man on a planet so far away? This, however, would be a question that could be posed on hundreds of movies released every year but with this one in particular the query seemed more relevant.
I really liked the verisimilitude in the transition between Martian and Earthian scenes throughout the film. The special effects are also well-done and believable. The performances are admirable and convincing. Damon proves once again that he can carry the weight of a film's narrative on his shoulders.
Here is a film that opens your mind and shows you new worlds and possibilities. It is imaginative and the science is thoroughly accurate and always seems plausible. Furthermore, like most suspenseful films should, just when you think everything is going smoothly something is bound to go awry and keep you interested.
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