Mars Needs Watney! The Martian Rules

 

All too often, when successful novels are adapted as movies, you lose the magic of the tone that made them special in the first place.

Not so with Ridley Scott’s triumphant depiction of Andy Weir’s smash debut novel, The Martian. The book was awesome, and Scott has wisely retained all the magic that made the book such an addictive best-seller, with spot-on casting and an escalating sense of fun. Marooned Mars astronaut Mark Watney is wonderfully portrayed by Matt Damon, keeping the character’s two most pivotal traits front-and-center – his humor and his inventive resourcefulness.

 

It’s easily Scott’s most crowd-pleasing and accessible film since Gladiator or Thelma and Louise, and it’s easy to see why the weekend box office was so strong. Left for dead on Mars after a freak accident, Watney has to deconstruct every environmental variable imaginable to increase his potential longevity, stopping just short of alchemy at manufacturing the food, air and water necessary to survive. The engaging first-person angle of the book is preserved through video log entries, which let Damon speak directly to the camera, as he plans, worries, free-associates and complains. His percolating isolation amid the vast red landscapes of Mars contrasts with the Apollo 13 team problem-solving back at NASA, and the dawning realization among Damon’s crewmates on Hermes (their amazingly designed and believable space vehicle) that their dead crewmate may still be alive. 

 

Changes from the novel are minimal at best, and every single cast member delivers beautifully, including a couple of Marvel vets – Michael Peña(Ant-Man) continues his hot streak and it’s nice to see Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) among the crew, along with a terrific turn by Jessica Chastain as the mission commander. Ridley Scott is at the top of his game here. He’s going to go down in history as one of the most influential science fiction directors of all time, effectively trumping both Gravity and Interstellar here, from a pure audience enjoyment factor. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (Prometheus) is king of the cinema right now, with his work in both this and The Walk currently dazzling audiences. The real hero here is screenwriter Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods), who conducts a master class on how to economically adapt a book to film. It feels like everyone involved knew they were making something special and brought their A-game to the table. 

 

Perhaps The Martian’s greatest legacy will be in what it inspires. Like the book, this is a movie that embraces science and the imagination. The heroic superpower is math, and an understanding of scientific cause-and-effect. Astronauts and scientists are depicted realistically, as problem-solving visionaries who keep trying, regardless of their setbacks. The Martian feels like it could well rouse a whole new generation to pursue careers in science and space exploration. In this age of fervent science-denial and diminished vision, that’s just the kind of outcome our future needs. The Martian is a spectacularly good time at the movies