After the brilliance of Interstellar,
it is hard to imagine another equally impressive story on space travel. However,
The
Martian by the famed director Ridley Scott, is an invigorating film on
journey beyond the earth. It follows a style which is completely foreign to space
flicks, and in doing so it has changed the landscape of space genre films.
Based on the novel of the same name, the
story is set in Mars where a team of NASA astronauts are on an exploratory
mission, but the sudden change in weather condition forces them to abort the
mission, and set course back to earth. In the process, one astronaut is left
behind because he is suspected to be dead. But much to their surprise, the NASA
and the rest of the world soon realise that the astronaut Mark Watney is still
alive, and marooned on Planet Mars. NASA quickly charts a rescue mission to
save the astronaut stranded in Mars.
A major chunk of the film is the trials
and tribulations that Mark goes through to survive on Mars. Mark Watney’s
struggle on a strange planet is a pleasure to watch as it is accompanied by his
infectious optimism and his nerdy quick plans. All through the film, Mark
Watney’s double dose of sense of humour which is perfectly portrayed by the
talented actor, Matt Damon is blissfully entertaining, and so are the performances
by the different characters in the NASA. Matt Damon as Mark Watney is captivating
and convincing to the extent that he will make you crave for hot potatoes with
ketchup which he is seen relishing in the movie. The usual darkness, eerie silence,
impending doom, the sudden loss and strange occurrences which are the natural
accompaniments of such films are present in the The Martian as well. However,
they are complimented with humour, peppy music, fierce optimism and quick
thinking. The marriage is beautiful!
Music and sound effects play an
important role as they set the mood which alternates skillfully between strangeness
and familiarity. Even the visuals of the Mars paint a picture of strange land
at the same time it gives you a feeling of comfortable familiarity. This
dichotomy is an intriguing experience.With clever plot, subtle enjoyable
humour, impressive dialogues, valuable life lessons, great performances, and of
course the space trivia, The Martian has ventured where no human has ever dared
to. The Martian is a sweet compelling film, a perfect entertainer and an
absolute treat.
Film: The Martian
Year: 2015
Genre: Sci-fi
Director: Ridley Scott
Produced by: Simon
Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Aditya Sood, Michael Schaefer, Mark Huffam.
Editing: Pietro Scalia
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Music Composer: Harry Gregson-
Williams
Screenplay: Drew Goddard
Based on : The Martian by Andy Weir
CAST:
Matt Damon as Mark Watney
Jessica Chastain as Melissa Lewis
Michael Peña as Major Rick Martinez
Kate Mara as Beth
Johanssen
Sebastian Stan as Dr. Chris
Beck
Aksel Hennie as Dr. Alex
Vogel
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent
Kapoor
Mackenzie Davis as Mindy Park
Sean Bean as Mitch
Henderson
Jeff Daniels as Theodore
Donald Glover as Rich
Purnell
Benedict Wong as Bruce Ng
Kristen Wiig as Annie
Montrose
Eddy Ko as Guo Ming
Chen Shu as Zhu Tao
Naomi Scott as Ryoko
Nick Mohammed as Tim Grimes
Tomatometer: 92%
IMDb ratings: 8.1/10
- Indu Mathi S
