Going into seeing Ridley Scott’s latest film, The Martian, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Not being much of a Sci-Fi fan, I wasn’t sure if I would even like it. I have seen my share of “space movies” such as Interstellar and Gravity, but they always confused me or I just generally found them to be weird. But when I saw The Martian, I was pleasantly surprised.
The Martian tells the story of an astronaut named Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon. In the beginning, Watney becomes stranded on Mars. For the rest of the movie, he tries to figure out how to survive while the people on Earth must figure out how to save him. The point of view goes back and forth to show the Mars side of things as well as the happenings back on Earth. Watney has his fair share of struggles, triumphs and surprises along the way.
The way the whole movie manages to stay realistic makes it stand out from others of its kind. The space aspect kind of gets lost and it becomes a simple story of survival that remains human and emotionally raw. While set mostly in space, it somehow feels normal and not fictional at all. Everything that happens feels so realistic, like it could really happen today. The script maintains a humorous quality throughout, even during intense situations, which I appreciated.
This film makes math and science look so cool. I am actually glad they portrayed the so-called “nerds” of the world in such a good light. They portray geniuses as stylish and funny and you leave wanting to be one of them, even if you hate everything to do with any type of math, like me. I strongly considered becoming an astrophysicist and working for NASA based on what I saw in the movie.
The only thing I can really say that I did not like, was that it felt a bit lengthy and there were a couple moments when I wanted it to hurry up and end. Being based on a novel, however, I can understand how it may be hard to condense certain moments. The beautiful cinematography, realistic story and humorous characters all contributed to my four out of five star rating. Overall, I loved the movie and I think everyone can find something to like about it, even if you usually wouldn’t like a Sci-Fi flick.
