The Martian

 THE MARTIAN

Director : Ridley Scott
Year : 2015
Genre : Science-Fiction
Rating : ****1/2

 

Having made his name with the still-terrifying masterpiece 'Alien' in 1979, director Ridley Scott reclaims his throne as the King of science-fiction with 'The Martian' - a hugely entertaining movie that proves to be the director's best film in a very long time indeed. Based on Andy Weir's massively popular 2011 novel of the same name, the film stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a plucky astronaut and botanist who must try to eke out a living on the sun-baked surface of Mars when he is left behind by his crew after a violent storm is presumed to have killed him.

While he tries to figure out how to grow food and create water on a completely inhospitable planet, back on Earth NASA must try to figure out a way to retrieve the spaceman before he succumbs to thirst or starvation. Armed only with the resources left behind by the failed mission, his superior intellect and his co-workers supply of disco records and 'Happy Days' tapes, Watney challenges every odd stacked against him and soon discovers that he may just survive his horrifying ordeal. By growing food. In his own excrement.

Borrowing certain narrative beats from a number of movies including 'Silent Running', 'Cast Away', 'Moon' and even 'Gravity' in the third act, 'The Martian' may not appear to be the most original film ever made. However, the consistently great performances and brilliantly intelligent screenplay from 'The Cabin In The Woods' writer Drew Godard makes for one of the most consistently entertaining movies of the year. Matt Damon delivers a knock-out (and in my opinion Academy Award worthy) turn as Watney, whose sense of humour and self-belief effortlessly manages to milk our sympathies and our best intentions completely dry. Unfairly dismissed by many as a one-note actor, Damon has continually proved himself to be one of the most versatile actors working in Hollywood and 'The Martian' sees him at his very best. He is funny, he is charming and he is completely believable as a relentlessly optimistic man trapped on the most deadly environment any human has ever had to endure. A star-studded supporting cast which includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig all help to add to the emotional value of the movie and every single actor brings their A game to their performances - no matter how big or small it may be. However, it is Damon's movie and he owns every single second he is on screen.

Beautifully shot by master D.O.P. Dariusz Wolski (who also photographed this week's release 'The Walk'), 'The Martian' credibly places it's characters and indeed it's audience right on the surface of the red planet. It has as much eye-popping visuals and spectacular settings as it does believable characters and the film wonderfully manages to give just as much screen time to the efforts of those on Earth with those of the helpless Watney stuck on Mars. Stellar work from director Scott and production designer Arthur Max (whose previous work includes 'Se7en' and Scott's own epics 'Gladiator' and 'Prometheus') manages to keep the absurdity of the plot to an absolute minimum while Godard's amazing script helps to keep the story anchored in emotional and physical reality. It's been so long since Ridley Scott has given us a truly great movie and with the release of 'The Martian', I believe he has finally done it. It is entertaining, it is hilarious and at times, it is genuinely thrilling - everything you could possibly want from a truly great film. 'The Martian' is indeed a truly great film.