OK, time for a bit of post revisitation once again as I recently re-watched Ridley Scott's sci-fi film, The Martain on Blu-ray, so I figured I would give me original review another look and a little rewrite.
So, let's take a look at this one again......
And yes here comes the usual warning...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!!
STORY
So, the story begins on the planet Mars (from the title naturally you would expect this!) where a team astronauts are on a mission. However the planet is suddenly hit by an intense storm which forces the team to evacuate but one of the team, Mart Watney (Matt Damon) is lost and presumed dead by the others who take off and leave him behind at the order of the mission commander, Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain).
Watney however survives the storm but his communications equipment has been destroyed and he must find a way to keep himself alive on the planet, which he does by using his skills as a botanist, he grows potatoes within the base the team had built on the planet surface. Watney calculates that he must try and keep himself alive for three years long enough hopefully to journey to the landing site for the sucessive ship Aries IV. Watney also keeps a series of video logs to keep himself going and also makes modifications to the base's rover so it can make longer journeys.
On Earth sometime after the initial announcement was made that Watney had died, NASA engineers Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Mindy Park (MacKenzie Davis) discover from the Mars satelitte footage that Watney survived and they start to plan out how to contact him. The NASA director, Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) insists though that they don't tell the rest of Watney's crew who have now been reassigned to another mission onboard the Hermes in case Watney doesn't survive. Watney however manages to locate a pathfinder probe which had been inactive since 1997 and uses it to contact NASA.
And its from here that Watney must try and find a way to keep himself alive on Mars and for NASA to try and figure out a way they can bring him back home....
THOUGHTS
Well after some recent disappointments, the Martian is easily Ridley Scott's best film in quite some time (although he did follow it up with the underwhelming Alien Covenant) as its an entertaining and at times gripping film which deals with one man's survival on a barren planet. Personally myself I always enjoy watching films where one man (or woman) has to adapt and survive in a lone habitat such as Tom Hanks in Cast Away and this is another fine example of that.
The tone of the film is also rather surprisingly quite light hearted given its main character is stranded on an alien planet where there is no breathable atmosphere and his chances of survival long term are pretty slim. And that in itself is also part of why the film works very well as Scott could easily have gone down another route of making it a rather dispairing and heavy going experience but thankfully that is not the case here.
PERFORMANCES
As for the performances well they are all pretty top notch starting with Matt Damon who is excellent in the lead role of Mark Watney, the astronaut who is left stranded on Mars after being presumed dead by his crew mates.
Damon after being in the not entirely disimilar Interstellar (but a bit more realistic it has to be said) and playing a somewhat crazed astronaut, thankfully plays Watney as a sane man who uses his skills to keep himself alive.
Damon also has some good moments in the film such as the scene where Watney makes a grim assessment of his situation not long after he has been stranded on Mars, he records a video message. And in the message he says "If the oxygenator breaks down, I'll suffocate. If the water reclaimer breaks down, I'll die of thirst. If the hab breaches, I'll just kind of implode. If none of those things happen, I'll eventually run out of food and starve to death. So, yeah... Yeah...".
Then there is the scene where Watney tries to make water by burning hydrogen and he very nearly blows himself up in the process. So, in another video message he says "So, yeah, I blew myself up. Best guess, I forgot to account for the excess oxygen that I've been exhaling when I did my calculations because I'm stupid. I'm gonna get back to work here just as soon as my ears stop ringing!".
Another good scene is when Watney forces himself to listen to his superior, Commander Lewis's disco music, which he hates as he groans in dispair as he listens to "Turn the beat around" by Gloria Estefan. And Watney says to himself " I am definitely gonna die up here if I have to listen to any more of Commander Lewis' god-awful disco music. My god commander could you have not brought something from this century. No I won't "turn the beat around, I refuse to!" and he switches it off.
Then there is the moment where Watney looks around at the potato crops he has managed to successfully grow inside the base and he records another video message to camera. And in the message he says to the camera "I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the greatest botanist on this planet!".
The next scene worth mentioning is when Watney has heard from NASA that in order for him to successfully escape Mars orbit in the ascent vehicle, he will need to remove the top of it. So, Watney in another video message says "And by the way, physicists, when describing things like acceleration do not use the word "fast". So they're only doing that in the hopes that I won't raise any objections to this lunacy, because I like the way "fastest man in the history of space travel" sounds. I do like the way it sounds... I mean, I like it a lot" and he pauses and says "I'm not gonna tell THEM that!".
And lastly there is the scene where Watney (SPOILER!!) having made it into orbit using his ascent vehicle is about to be rescued by Commander Lewis, who has gone out of the Aries ship in her astronaut suit to catch him. However, the rope of the harness that holds her won't stretch far enough for Lewis to catch Watney. So, Watney suggests "Well, if I can find something sharp in here...and poke a hole in the glove of my EVA suit...I could use the escaping air as a thruster...and fly towards you". However, Lewis is less than enthused and tells him "I can't see you having any control if you did that. You'd be eyeballing the intercept using a thrust vector you can barely control". And Watney tells her "Yes, those are all very good points. But consider this. I'd get to fly around like Iron Man. Commander...let's go Iron Man!".
As for the other performances Chiwetel Ejiofor does very well as the NASA scientist, Vincent Kapoor, who plays his part in helping to try and bring Watney back home.
And Ejiofor has some good moments of his own such as the scene where Kapoor tells Watney via their keyboard VDU messages that the Aries crew aren't aware that he is still alive, so Watney is naturally pretty annoyed and starts typing a sweary response. Kapoor however is alarmed and types back saying " Mark, please watch your language. Everything you type is being broadcast live all over the world!". And Mark looks annoyed at Kapoor's message and starts typing more expletives much to the amusement of the NASA staff leaving Kapoor embarrassed "Oh, my God!".
Then there is the scene where one the director of jet propulsion laboratory (JPL for short) Bruce Ng gives his assessment on how to make the Mars ascent vehicle light enough to get into orbit, which basically means removing the roof of the vehicle itself. So, Kapoor becomes very anxious as he hears the assessment but one of Ng's associates says "He hasn't even got to the bad parts yet" and Kapoor says "Well, let's get to the bad parts". So, Ng tells Kapoor "We need to remove the nose LR, the windows, and the whole of panel 19". And Kapoor, bemused says "You want to take the front of the ship off?!" and Ng says "Sure. The nose alone is 400 kilograms" and Kapoor "You want to send a man into space without the front of ship??". And Ng says "Well, no. We are going to have him cover it with HAB canvas. The hull is mostly there to keep air in. Mars' atmosphere is so thin, you do not need a lot of streamlining". And Kapoor becoming angry asks "You want to send him into space under a tarp???" and Ng says "Yes. Can I go on?" and Kapoor shouts "NO!!".
And lastly there is the scene where Kapoor relays Ng's bad news to Watney via keyboard message and Watney replies "Are you f***ing kidding me???". So, Kapoor asks Mindy, one of the NASA satelitte planners "You think he means it like... (uses a surprised tone) "Are you kidding me?" You know? Or like, (an angry tone) "Are you kidding me?". And Mindy suggests "I think it could be the second one" but Kapoor begs to differ and says "It COULD be the first way" and Mindy, not convinced but plays along and says "Yeah, it could be the first way".
Jeff Daniels is also excellent as the somewhat pompous NASA director Teddy Sanders, who intends to play things as safe as he can in order to maintain NASA's public image especially after they incorrectly announce that Watney died.
Daniels good scenes include the one where one of the JPL team, Rich Purnell (Donald Glover) forms a plan to save Watney and he pitches it to Teddy and Kapoor. And as Purnell does he asks Teddy "What's your name again?" and Teddy rather bemused says "My name is Teddy....the DIRECTOR of NASA!" and Purnell simply says "Cool!". And after his pitch is over, Teddy says to Purnell "Rich..." and Purnell says "Yes, sir" and Teddy bluntly tells him "Get out!".
And lastly there is the scene where Teddy meets with Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) the NASA director of the Aries III mission and Teddy confronts Mitch on his decision to go over his head and send a private message to the Aries crew about Purnell's rescue plan. So, Teddy tells Mitch "Annie will go before the media this morning...and inform them of NASA's decision to reroute the Hermes to Mars". And Mitch says "Sounds like a good plan" but Teddy warns him "You may have killed them, Mitch. We're fighting the same war. Every time something goes wrong, the world forgets why we fly. I'm trying to keep us airborne. It's bigger than one person" but Mitch disagrees "No, its not". And Teddy gives Mitch an ultimatum "When this is over. I'll expect your resignation" and Mitch nods and quietly says "I understand" and Teddy says "Bring our astronauts home".
Jessica Chastain also is very good as Commander Lewis who makes the difficult decision to leave Watney behind and even worse she loves disco music!
And Jessica has some good scenes but for the sake of time I will only mention two, the first being where Lewis has a meeting with her crew over whether they should go ahead and rescue Watney or not, as doing so would mean disobeying direct orders from NASA.
So, Lewis tells the crew "This is something NASA expressly rejected. We're talking about mutiny here, which is not a word that I take lightly. So we do this together or not at all. And before you answer, consider the consequences. If we mess up the supply rendezvous, we die. If we mess up the Earth gravity assist, we die. If we do everything perfectly... we add 533 days to our mission. 533 more days before we see our families again. 533 days of unplanned space travel...where anything could go wrong. If it's mission critical, we die". And Lewis then tells them "Well, it has to be unanimous. If we do this, it'll be over 900 days of space. That's more than enough space for one life...". So after the crew all agree to do the rescue, Lewis says "Well, let's go get him!".
Then there is the scene where during a comedic montage, Lewis chats with her husband over a video call and he says to her "Hey, baby. I've got something for you". And he pulls out an original ABBA album "Found it in the flea market. Original pressing!" and Lewis reacts in delight and surprise and she grins saying "I love it!".
Sean Bean does pretty well in his role as Mitch Henderson, the director of the Aries III NASA mission that saw Watney abandoned on Mars.
And Bean has some good scenes that include the one where Mitch tells Teddy its time for them to tell the Aries crew about Watney being still alive. And Mitch says "The truth is that Mark's right. The longer we wait the worse it's going to get. We need to tell the crew". However, Teddy is reluctant to go ahead with this and says "You're saying this now while Vincent is in Pasadena so he can't argue the other side". However, Mitch insists "I shouldn't have to answer to Vincent or anyone else. It's time Teddy".
Then there is the scene where Mitch contacts the Aries team and tells them about Watney being alive "Hi, hello. It's Mitch. Mitch Henderson. I have some news. There's no subtle way to put this. Mark Watney is still alive" and they all react in surprise. And Mitch continues "I know that's a surprise and I know you will have a lot of questions. But here are the basics. He's alive and he's healthy. We found out two months ago and decided not to tell you". Mitch then tells them "I was strongly against that decision. We're telling you now because... we finally have communication with him... and a viable rescue plan. But it's not your fault. Mark stresses that every time it comes up".
And lastly there is the scene where Mitch confronts Teddy over his decision to go with their plan of providing enough food supplies for Watney rather than let the Hermes crew (the crew that were on the Aries but are on a new mission at this point) go and save Watney.
So, in the scene, Bruce Ng asks " So what, we either have a high chance of killing one person, or a low chance of killing six people. How do we make that decision?" and Kapoor says "We don't" and he points to Teddy and says "He does". However, Mitch says "That's bullshit. It should be commander Lewis's call" and Teddy says "We still have a chance to bring five astronauts home safe and sound. I'm not risking their lives". Mitch then insists "Let THEM make that decision!" but Teddy refuses "Mitch, we're going with option one" and this leaves, Mitch disgusted at Teddy and he says "You goddamn coward!" and storms out.
Next is Michael Pena, who is always reliable in anything he does and he's really good here once again as Rick Martinez, one of the Aries crew.
And Pena's best scene comes when the Aries crew have been informed that Watney is still alive and they are granted permission to chat to him via keyboard messages. So in this scene, Martinez types out a message to Watney and he reads it as he does ""Dear Mark... "Apparently NASA's letting us talk to you now. "And I drew the short straw. "Sorry we left you behind on Mars. "But we just don't like you! "Also, it's a lot roomier on the Hermes without you. "We have to take turns doing your tasks. "But, I mean, it's only botany. "It's not real science!". And at the end of their conversation, Watney says to Martinez "Tell the others I said hi" and Martinez smiles and types saying "Will do, buddy".
Kate Mara is also pretty good (and pretty!) as Beth Johanssen, one of the Aries crew and she ends up having romantic feelings for one of the crew, Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan).
And Kate's most notable scene comes when Beth helps Beck, who is in his space suit as he prepares to go outside. And Beth tells Beck "Make sure you're not in here when this thing goes off. Hey. Be careful out there. In space" and she kisses his surface of his space helmet and she then says "Don't tell anyone I did that!".
As for the last few roles, MacKenzie Davis also fairs well in her role as Mindy Park, one of NASA's ground staff at mission control although to save on time I won't mention any of her dialogue (sorry!).
Donald Glover is not too bad as Rich Purnell, the NASA astrodynamicist, who susses out a plan to bring Watney home. And Glover's best moment comes of course when he tells Teddy and Kapoor his plan to bring Watney home. So, Purnell gives his pitch as to how to do it and he get's Teddy to stand at the far left of the room and director of media relations at NASA to stand at the right side of the room. However when he doesn't realise who Teddy is and asks "Okay, let's pretend that this stapler is the Hermes... and you are...I'm sorry, what's your name again?" and Teddy tells him "My name is Teddy, the DIRECTOR of NASA!" and Rich simply says "Cool!". And after he finishes his pitch he tells them "I've done the math. It checks out" and Teddy tells Rich "Rich...get out!" and Rich having taken Teddy's pen, puts it back in his jacket pocket.
And last of all is Benedic Wong, who is pretty good as Bruce Ng, the director of the JPL team, who is given the mission to build the probe to launch supplies for Watney. So prior to Wong's scene, Teddy tells Mitch "We need 13 days to mount the boosters, perform inspections... which gives Bruce and his team... 47 days to make this probe. I'll let you call Bruce, give him the news". And we cut to the scene where Bruce has just gotten the call and he tells his team "OK. Well, I'm gonna need a change of clothes....".
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
As for the film's director, Ridley Scott does an excellent job here and keeps the film's pacing fairly taut even though the film does feel a little overlong he does more than enough to keep an audience interested in Watney's situation. Scott's incredible visual sense also is at the foreground here once again and the film looks spectacular (also thanks to the film's cinemaphotographer Dariusz Wolski) especially during its Mars sequences which were shot on location in Wadi Rum, a valley located in Jordan and it was also filmed at Korda studios in Budapest and about 20 sets were constructed for the film.
Music wise the film also features a pretty good score by Harry Gregson-Williams which is quite atmospheric and well suited for the film (which at times seems to echo the score for The Social Network by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). This score also marked the third score that Gregson-William had done in collaboration with Ridley Scott (although Ridley didn't the write the music of course!). The film also uses some disco music tracks as well such as "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and also of course David Bowie's "Starman" (well I guess they had to work that one in somehow!).
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
As for The Martian's flaws.... well yeah OK there are one two things that come to mind for starters you have to question whether or not if Watney could realistically have survived on Mars for as long as he did. And the first thing that comes to mind that raises this doubt is that spacesuit is punctured early on in the film and if that was the case that surely he would be dead pretty much straight away!
Its also funny how Watney doesn't start to lose weight alot sooner than he does as he lives off a diet of potatos and bread and that's it then surely that wouldn't be enough to maintain his weight and its only later in after a few years we finally see that Watney has lost quite a bit of weight due to his need to ration his food. In fact, the weight loss we see is in fact just CGI as Ridley Scott refused to let Matt Damon physically lose weight as he didn't want to endanger his health. However this in itself introduces a flaw of its own because even though in those later scenes we see Matt's physical form look skinnier in the scenes where he comes out of the shower when he wears his spacesuit, he looks more muscular again. So it has to be said the whole visual weight loss thing doesn't add up well and is never that consistent.
Another scene that doesn't make sense somehow is when Watney access's one of the crew's laptop's (which he takes from a storage crate) which must have been surely days after he had been left stranded yet the laptop somehow manages to boot up with no problem. But surely if the laptop had been left uncharged it would have no charge left in it! So the film in these instances makes some assumptions which they are guessing an audience wouldn't really notice.
Another issue I would have to say is that the inclusion of the disco music is a bit annoying and in the end it is used more as a bit of comic relief more than anything else. And it was revealed that Ridley himself is a bit of an ABBA fan so perhaps that is why they decided to work its use into the film! But as the film goes on it starts to grate a little bit in its use although perhaps that's the film's way of getting you a bit inside Watney's predicament as he forces himself to listen to it as a distraction to keep himself going.
Then there is the whole infuriating use of having large crowds of people gathering round some of the most notable cities in the world outside watching live TV coverage of Watney's rescue attempt on big screens. I mean its such a cliche in these sorts of films and I would dare even say that this is something that must have been foisted upon Scott for the film probably by some Hollywood execs. However I just find this to be an overused cliche in these sorts of films and its pretty cringeworthy and the film really could have done without it!
And last of all is the whole thing about Watney's ascent vehicle being stripped down, so it can successfully make its way into orbit in order for Watney to be rescued by the Hermes crew and they decide the roof of the vehicle should be removed also to make it light enough and instead put a canvas over it to give it a "roof". Now, surely to God if they did this in reality, the pressure of the flight would be enough to crush Watney and there is no way in hell a stupid piece of canvas is going to be effective enough to cover him and prevent anything from happening! And this easily remains one of the most ridiculous moments in the film, which lacks any real sense of logic or common sense.
Anyway that's the flaws looked at.
SUM UP
So, to sum up on rewatching the Martain, I think it is still a very entertaining and gripping sci-fil film which I have to say its well worth checking out as it has some excellent performances, amazing visuals and a pretty decent score also. The film is maybe just a tad too overlong though but given its length of 2 hours and 21 minutes it doesn't lag that much and yes it does still have some plot flaws and niggles here and there. However that all aside, its still a film that's well worth watching and it also marked something of a return to form for Ridley Scott after a string of disappointing films.
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post soon.
Till then its bye for the now.
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