The Martian. Rated
M (survival themes and coarse language). 141 minutes. Directed by Ridley Scott.
Screenplay by Drew Goddard. Based on the novel by Andy Weir.
When their Mars
mission is hit by a ferocious storm, commander Lewis (Jessica Chastain) makes
the decision that the crew leave the planet’s surface and return to the
relative safety of their spacecraft, the Hermes. But when the violent windstorm
slams a piece of equipment into astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), he becomes
separated from the rest of the crew, and electronic signals from his space suit
indicate that he has not survived the impact.
Commander Lewis
reluctantly makes the decision to leave Watney behind, only to later learn that
he has survived and that NASA is preparing a rescue mission. All Watney has to
do is work out how to survive alone on the planet for the four years it will
take the rescue mission to reach him.
At a running time
of two hours and twenty-one minutes, it’s not that hard to know precisely how
he feels. Apart from the opening storm sequence, The Martian feels more like an
extra special episode of ‘Better Homes and Gardens’, as Watney potters about
tending his crop of potatoes, making and repairing things, while recording
entertaining entries into the mission’s video log about how ingenious, funny
and resilient he is.
Back on Earth,
things are equally ordinary, as a terrifically miscast Jeff Daniels plays Teddy
Sanders, the Director of NASA, as something like an incredibly bored school
principal. What is impressive, in spite of the ordinary performances, is the
extent of ground-breaking technological and scientific innovation that figures
prominently in the story, both at NASA, in outer space, and on Mars.
But for all that’s
a stake, The Martian is a strangely drama- and atmosphere-free zone.
This review was
commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
