THE MARTIAN

GRADE: A+
Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Based on the novel by Andy Weir
Directed by Ridley Scott
Rated PG-13
(Intensity, language, disco music) 

Reviewed by Paul and Patrick Gibbs
 

It's not easy to create a sci-fi film which appeals as much to devotees of real science as to the average moviegoer, but the makers of The Martian seem to have pulled it off in this extraordinarily entertaining and engrossing film. While there's a lot of credit to go around, three names stand out: director Ridley Scott, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and perhaps most of all, star Matt Damon. Of course, the story of The Martian actually began with novelist Andy Weir, who wrote a great book. But we all know a great book doesn't always inherently translate to a great movie (just as a great movie doesn't necessarily mean the book it came from was great), but this is a case where it has. 

Damon stars as Mark Watney, a crew member of the fictional Ares IIII Mars mission, who is apparently killed in an accident just as the rest of the crew is fleeing the planet to avoid a devastating storm. But Mark isn't dead. He is, however, alone on the red planet, with no way to contact NASA, and nothing to keep him alive but a small habitat shelter, limited supplies and his own intelligence.  If this sounds a little like Cast Away meets Apollo 13, it is, though instead of talking to a volleyball Mark keeps a videolog, where Damon's talent for  humor is allowed to shine. Damon is hilarious, making dry asides and generally reminding us what a remarkably engaging screen prescence he is and why he is one of the last true movie stars. And as funny as he is, he's equally adept at the dramatic elements of the film, making us feel his fear and loneliness at having a whole planet to himself, and his steely resolve that he will not die there.  It's a performance for the ages, and one that may surpass Jason Bourne as his definitive star turn, and absolutely should gain him another Oscar nomination.  

Damon is ably supported by a great cast, both on board the Ares III and at mission control. His crewmates include the always excellent Jessica Chastain as Commander Lewis, leader of the mission, and Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan and Aksel Hennie as the rest of the crew. Mission control is represented by top-notch veterans Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig, along with rising star Donald Glover and appealing newcomer MacKenzie Davis. Every one of these performers manages to make an impression and adds greatly to the film, and yet the strong ensemble never overpowers the fact that it's Damon's movie. Much of the credit goes to Goddard's excellent screenplay. Goddard has stayed remarkably faithful to the novel, while still having the cinematic savvy to recognize that the structure has to be tweaked to fit the medium of film. And his sense of humor meshes seamlessly with Weir's. Of the many Oscar nominations the film deserves, Best Adapted Screenplay is high on the list.

Two more well deserved nominations would go to cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and director Ridley Scott. Scott is one of cinema's great talents, but even fans like us have to admit his output in recent years hasn't exactly been stellar, with even his better recent films having some fairly serious problems. But The Martian ranks alongside classics like Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator as one of Scott's very best films, and certainly his best in over a decade. His visual talent is unsurpassed among living filmmakers, and he can be brilliant with actors, as he is here. But where his recent films have tended to ramble, even with a a nearly two and a half hour run time The Martian feels lean. No time is wasted. His more recent films have also had a dismal quality, but here Scott is clearly having fun, and that will translate to the audience.

As pure storytelling, The Martian may well be the best of the recent rush of astronaut films which in at least some way acknowledge actual science. It may not be 100% accurate, but it comes infinitely closer than most Hollywood sci-fi epics without sacrificing any of the entertainment value. It's a film that has something for nearly everyone, and will rank highly on our respective lists of the best films of 2015.