If we get a better movie than The Martian in theaters between now and December (or the first couple weeks in January, since that’s when a lot of Oscar contenders get a wide release), it’s going to be a damn good year for movies.
Not only is it simply fulfilling for a movie to live up to the hype of adapting a popular novel and boasting a stellar cast, but it’s gratifying to see that Ridley Scott can still make a great film, something that could have been reasonably doubted with his work over the past 10 years. The Martian shows that it’s still possible to make a smart science fiction film without compromising its intentions or devolving into an oblique story to move the narrative along. (Who said Interstellar? You said Interstellar. Was I referring to Interstellar? OK, I might have been talking about Interstellar.)
Like Andy Weir’s source novel, The Martian really emphasizes the science in science fiction. I didn’t read the book (my failure to read fiction in recent years is a constant source of frustration for friends, but that’s another post), but even those who enjoyed it (and there were many) acknowledged that it was dry and dragged in places as the author took pains to explain the plausibility and process of the methodology and brain work that went into astronaut Mark Watney’s efforts to survive being stranded on Mars and stay alive until a rescue mission could save him.
If you’re worried about that sounding boring, you can relax. This is not a deliberate, contemplative meditation on man versus nature, our place in the universe, or the power of love to carry us through the most adverse of circumstances. It’s more like an action movie for the brain. How would a man — one with significant expertise in botany and considerable knowledge of engineering and mathematics — manage to live on Mars with whatever technology was on hand and the natural materials available to him?
Though the physical and logistical struggles are considerable for Watney, the ordeal is also an intellectual exercise. And Matt Damon’s performance shines because he conveys the satisfaction Watney derives from solving these problems. As he says late in the film, you solve one problem and then go on to the next problem. When Watney feels overwhelmed by his circumstances — I’m guessing most of us would curl up into a ball and cry before maybe going on a self-pitying freeze-dried food binge — those emotions are depicted very subtly by Damon, Scott and writer Drew Goddard. That makes his understandable outbursts all the more compelling when they happen.
What emotions are stirred up by The Martian largely come from the feelings of satisfaction and triumph of having various plans come together. Watney is doing what he can to survive, using his skills to create water and potato crops from the resources he has on hand (notably rocket fuel and the vacuum-packed waste from the crew). Botany and agriculture have never been so exciting, at least outside of a romantic comedy. Meanwhile, NASA has learned their astronaut is still alive from satellite imagery and works to communicate with him, subsequently attempting to put together a mission to rescue him.
Yet this story exists in a plausibly real world, so it’s not just a matter of NASA pulling another ship out of the garage to go retrieve Watney or notifying the crew that left Watney behind to pull a quick U-turn in space and get back to Mars. (Where’s Tony Stark when his country needs him?) Scott and Goddard, following Weir’s lead, try hard to hew as close to reality as possible in the progression of events, how science and time apply to them, and the logistics involved in attempting things that have never been done before in the history of the manned space program.
The Martian could have been a boring film. We’re talking about a story full of a stranded astronaut recording video journals, working out mathematics and chemistry to formulate solutions. We see administrators in meetings navigating political, ideological, logistical and public relations landmines. There are engineers interpreting satellite information and calculating orbital paths at workstations, along with those building space capsules trying to figure out the least amount of supplies and technology necessary to complete the objective since weight and time are crucial factors.
Then, of course, we have the environments of outer space and Mars. Starships aren’t zooming through the cosmos here. Watney isn’t attacked by alien creatures or geological anomalies. He can’t beat his adversary with his fists or laser guns. He has to use his brain, as do the engineers, administrators, and other astronauts involved in this massive rescue operation. These problems are solved by thinking, and trial and error, more than simply sheer will and cockiness. Naturally, both traits factor in throughout the story, but it’s more about not wanting to let a friend and fellow human being down, of trying whatever is possible (and plausible) to solve what might appear to be insurmountable obstacles.
With a different director and screenwriter, along with a less compelling cast, perhaps all of this would have felt like a slog. But Goddard makes the science and thinking dramatic. Figure out how to get those converging paths on the same track! How can we make that space capsule lighter? How many potatoes do I need to grow? Scott does an excellent job of cutting between Watney on Mars, the meetings at NASA and the astronaut crew on the Ares III that initially don’t even know their mate is still alive, but are then determined not to leave him behind. (As he typically does, Scott also provides brilliant visuals of the Martian landscape and outer space vistas.)
It certainly helps that every role is played by an excellent actor, each of them raising their game as a result. Damon is great, his charisma and cockiness keeping the movie compelling when he’s often acting either with himself or to a camera. His joy at figuring out solutions and his efforts coming to fruition are the best moments of the film. Chiwetel Ejiofor also does exceptional work as Vincent Kapoor, the man in charge of Mars missions at NASA who has a very personal stake in saving one of his astronauts (and the future of his program).
Jeff Daniels and Sean Bean (who, spoiler alert, does not die) also find the inherent drama in the political and moral battles constantly being raised. Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire), Benedict Wong (Prometheus) and Donald Glover are the right amount of funny and charming in their small, but important roles. And putting Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Askel Hennie (Hercules) and Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) together on a spaceship just sounds like a wonderful exercise in acting and storytelling. Put them all in the same place and see what happens. You’d have a pretty good movie with that scenario alone.
What makes The Martian so good is that it’s a movie about the best of us, of what intelligence and determination truly make possible. The film is a celebration of science and smarts. Whatever triumphs occur don’t just happen because we’re America or because someone’s in the best possible physical condition with the best technology (aided by the finest digital effects). Cooperation between nations is actually a key plot point during the course of the story, but it’s ultimately about really smart people working to the best of their capabilities to overcome a variety of difficult situations and circumstances beyond anybody’s reasonable control.
This is a very human story, reminding us of what truly matters more than any special effects, otherworldly setting or snappy dialogue. And it might be the best damn movie of the year.