The Martian
starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels and Sean Bean
screenplay by Drewgoddard
directed by Ridley Scott
Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊
Based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), a botanist, is stranded alone on Mars after a fierce storm and he must find a way to signal Earth that he is alive - and in the meantime survive on the hostile planet for more than a year. He has to figure out how to grow a sufficient supply of food to extend the time that whatever food supply he is left with allows him. He figures it out,but it’s a little gross. I thought The Martian was an excellent movie with a lot of real science woven into it to consider, especially since many in the world today are looking forward to a manned mission to Mars in the next twenty years. I think definitely someone alive in the world right now - some male or female child currently alive somewhere - will be the first human to walk on Mars. And it will happen during the lifetimes of many of us. The Martian might be called the first ‘real’ Mars movie because it tries to be realistic and it is actually about human beings grappling with the problems of exploring Mars, as opposed to the various movies set on Mars that are essentially either shoot ’em ups or horror films. It does not engage in fantasy: no monsters, no magic, no Nazis. Lots of science, though I’m sure there must be dozens of technical mistakes.
I looked forward to this film and was thrilled when I could see it on an airplane entertainment system during my March 2016 holiday. Yahoo!
I’m gonna have to science the shit outta this.