“Get busy residing or get busy dying.”
It is the mantra that motivates wrongly imprisoned Andy Dufresne all through his brutal 20-year stretch in Shawshank State Jail, and it is protected to imagine that “The Martian”‘s marooned astronaut had “The Shawshank Redemption” on his pre-flight watchlist. In any case, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) lives by precisely the identical credo when his Ares III crewmates unintentionally depart him behind on Mars, though he faces much more insurmountable odds.
Each movies are constructed on a knock ’em down/decide ’em up construction that in the end makes their respective — SPOILER ALERT! — escapes from confinement all of the sweeter. It is also price noting that the survival of each males depends on shut encounters of the turd sort, with human excrement taking part in pivotal roles in each of their salvation. Coincidence? We’re unsure…
The partitions of a jail cell are, on the face of it, slightly extra claustrophobic than having an ENTIRE PLANET to your self. However with Watney trapped between a habitation module, a Martian rover, or a spacesuit, contemporary air is only a pipe dream. And with tens of thousands and thousands of miles between himself and the remainder of civilisation, Watney trumps Dufresne within the isolation stakes. On the plus aspect, at the very least he would not need to keep away from Shawshank’s extra hostile residents.
And whereas the one instruments Dufresne has at his disposal are a rock hammer, the holes in his pockets, and a succession of film posters, Watney winds up with the entire of NASA making an attempt to get him residence. The truth is, together with “Apollo 13“, “The Martian” could be Hollywood’s best celebration of the US house administration and the scientists who make it tick.
Ridley Scott’s place within the sci-fi corridor of fame had been assured lengthy earlier than he dispatched Damon to the pink planet. “Alien” (1979) and “Blade Runner” (1982) stay among the many most influential films ever made, writing the blueprint for sci-fi horror and futuristic dystopias, respectively. So whereas his 2012 return to the style, “Alien” prequel “Prometheus“, struggled to stay as much as appreciable pre-release hype, the veteran British director had little to show when he signed up for “The Martian”.
Andy Weir had written the unique novel in his spare time. It turned a shock hit after the creator self-published on Amazon Kindle in 2011, earlier than discovering itself a mainstream guide deal and finally topping the New York Occasions bestseller record.
Pitched as “Solid Away” in house”, the film rights had been rapidly snapped up by twentieth Century Fox, with “X-Males” producer Simon Kinberg hooked up to the undertaking earlier than the guide had even made it into outlets. It was the script from Drew Goddard (“Cloverfield”, “The Cabin within the Woods”) that in the end piqued Matt Damon’s curiosity, although Goddard finally turned down the chance to direct, opting as a substitute to make Spider-Man spin-off “The Sinister Six”. That movie by no means made it out of improvement hell, however the airlock had already been opened for Scott to come back on board.
Set in 2035 — 16 years after “Blade Runner”, although in a really completely different timeline — “The Martian” exists in a way more optimistic future than Scott’s earlier sci-fi hits. He turned out to be equally at residence on Mars, nonetheless, discovering the humanity — and the surprising humor — in Mark Watney’s plight. He additionally made good use of the gorgeous surroundings of Wadi Rum in Jordan (see additionally: “Rogue One” and “The Rise of Skywalker“) to create some gorgeous Mars vistas.
However it’s Damon, because the eponymous, unintended Martian, who’s the movie’s actual MVP. He’d performed an astronaut a yr earlier in Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar“, however Watney is the polar reverse of the cynical, damaged Dr Mann. He has the likeable everyman high quality of Tom Hanks in “Solid Away”, however with a slightly higher understanding of science and math.
Crucially, he hardly ever lets the scenario get on prime of him, even when his new short-term residence proves extraordinarily hostile to life. He is additionally humorous — like, actually humorous — and unleashes his personal distinctive model of gallows humor to maintain himself sane. Utilizing Watney’s video diaries to relate his story proves a masterstroke, as an unseen digicam turns into a mute sounding board within the spirit of Wilson, the volleyball in “Solid Away”. Because of this, you actually care when issues inevitably go flawed, from the numerous (explosions taking out airlocks) to the downright disastrous (Watney working out of ketchup).
After which there’s his penchant for “sciencing the s**t” out of the scenario, a phrase that is since crossed over into the popular culture lexicon. Whether or not he is utilizing his personal poop to fertilize a crop of potatoes, or jerry-rigging the long-defunct Pathfinder probe to contact mission management, Watney’s ingenuity is really inspirational. It is easy to see why NASA was completely satisfied to seek the advice of on this explicit house odyssey — certainly, it is arduous to think about a extra interesting recruitment drive for the astronaut program, regardless of Watney’s unlucky predicament.
After all, Damon’s not the one star of the present. As Watney’s destiny turns into a global trigger célèbre, scientists and engineers at NASA, the Jet Propulsion Company, and later, the China Nationwide House Administration carry out mathematical gymnastics, chuckle within the face of deadlines, and — simply sometimes — bend the principles to get him residence. The crew of the Ares III, in the meantime — racked with guilt after leaving a person behind — sacrifice an instantaneous rendezvous with their households to make the prolonged return journey to Mars.
It is a big-budget house film that celebrates teamwork, intelligence, and tranquility below stress over spectacular set-pieces. The truth is, the one actual concession to blockbuster motion comes within the climactic scene, when Watney punctures his spacesuit, impersonates (in his personal phrases) Iron Man, and makes an attempt to propel himself the previous couple of meters again to the Ares III. The place’s JARVIS once you want him?
For a few years, Hollywood regarded Mars as a cursed planet, after a string of high-profile releases — together with “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars”, “Purple Planet”, “Mission to Mars” and, most infamously, “John Carter” — underperformed commercially. “The Martian” bucked the pattern, and regardless of not being 2015’s most profitable journey to outer house — unsurprisingly, that title went to “The Drive Awakens” — it was a bona fide field workplace smash.
In that regard, “The Martian” was nothing like “The Shawshank Redemption”, which famously flopped earlier than discovering a brand new life on VHS. For those who come throughout “The Martian” on TV, nonetheless, it is simply as arduous to change channels. Mark Watney’s ongoing cycle of wins, rating attracts, and losses pulls you in, preserving you rooting for the loneliest man within the universe — though you know the whole lot goes to be fantastic.
“You do the mathematics,” he tells a category of aspiring astronauts on the finish of the film. “You clear up one downside and also you clear up the subsequent one, after which the subsequent, and for those who clear up sufficient issues, you get to come back residence.”
Andy Dufresne would absolutely approve.
‘The Martian’ is offered to stream on Disney+ within the UK, and to lease and purchase on Prime Video, Apple TV, and extra within the US.
