The Martian is the most consistent - and coherent - film Ridley Scott has made in years, perhaps since Gladiator, perhaps since Thelma and Louise. What a relief. It is an old-fashioned Hollywood barn burner, a jolly among the stars that retains a healthy amount of humour and optimism throughout its long (but not flabby) running time.
Adapted from Andy Weir's book by Buffy alumni Drew Goddard, the story follows Mark Watney (Matt Damon) a chiseled astronaut on Mars who, after a major storm, is left behind by his crew and presumed dead. But he's saved by a shard of debris plugging the hole in his suit, and, like a space-MacGyver, he manages to limp back to home base, stitch himself up, listen to disco music and grow potatoes using his own poo. Meanwhile, grumpy NASA director Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels, in one of his most Jeff Daniels-esque roles to date) is faced with the embarrassing situation that, thanks to the way information is now freely distributed across the world, a lot of people are expecting them to spend a lot of time and money to save this man. He brings in a team of boffins (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, a cheerfully northern Sean Bean) to solve the problem, and the film alternates between both of their efforts and Watney's efforts to survive right up until the climactic, satisfying rescue.
Special effects-wise, Mars has never looked so good, and neither has space and its 2001-inspired spacecraft - though of course, it's all about the Earthlings, who are dwarfed by the time and magnitude of their surroundings. (The film takes place across four years, since the journey between Mars and Earth takes such a flippin' long time, and this is often indicated by Damon's increasingly thin, disheveled appearance.)
Having said that, I don't think the film takes the time it needs to really develop its characters. Sure, many of them make some good wisecracks every now and then: at one point Mark, recalling international Maritime law, dubs himself a "Space Pirate": and there's a terrific reference to The Lord of the Rings. But for the most part, we don't find out much about our titular Martian beyond his capabilities for survival. Does he have a girlfriend back on Earth? A dog he forgot to feed? Does he have anything more interesting to say than, "In your face, Neil Armstrong!" The most interesting moment of the film comes when he tells his commander,Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) to pass on a message to his parents, saying: "Tell them I love...what I do," which maybe hints at the cost of absolute devotion towards an admittedly worthwhile cause. But the film never builds on it: it's all just "Fuck yeah! Science!" from start to finish.
Perhaps hoping for a modern-day version of the The Right Stuff was stupid. It's clearly a different beast - an upbeat, accomplished sci-fi adventure that'll make the time fly. But there were times when I was hoping for something a bit more tangible to grasp while drifting through the depths of space.
★★★
