MOVIE – Ridley Scott has done it once again, and it seems he is forever locked into a room with the scifi genre.  While he had success with Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Robin Hood, our dear Scott had a much higher success with Prometheus. Now with The Martian it seems that Ridley is on the right track to becoming a Scifi maker legend again.

The Martian is based on a story written by Andy Weir back in 2011, which the rights for a movie was acquired by 20^th Century Fox, and the project was helmed by Ridley Scott. The book was critically acclaimed by reviewers, and the movie was anticipated by many as the book relied on many accurate scientific theories.

Now before everyone runs to the hills, and fears that this movie will be one big boring Star Trek technobabble, no need to run, as this movie is awesome.

It might even give rise to a new generation of scientist, or even add a bit of popularity to NASA again. It is able to capture all of the marvels of Space, and Mars, while at the same time is just a really funny movie.

In Space no one can hear you laugh!

This movie to me was a breath of fresh air after all the gloom, death, and the usual depressing indie movies that dominated this year. The premise is simple: Mark Watney is part of a science team sent to a thirty day mission on Mars. The mission is cut short due to a giant sandstorm heading towards the base, but unfortunately during the evacuation process Mark is separated from the team, and he is left behind on the base. From that point on it is a race to save Mark, and a race to save himself until help can reach him.

The plot is simple, yet great to see in action. This is due to the way the script is written, as contrast is provided between Mark, and the NASA / Earth people. It was interesting to see how a man can cope with isolation to such a degree that he is the only “living” being on Mars. At first the constant jokes made by the main character seems off putting, and unrealistic, but then I remembered that this probably a defense mechanism setup by Mark’s psyche. Looking at the grim realities of being stuck on the red planet all alone for years would have probably made him mad. Instead Mark continues to joke even in the most desperate situations, even when all hope seems to be lost.

At the same time Earth’s NASA is shellshocked, and constantly in a crazed frenzy to save their astronaut. They can barely tolerate Mark’s jokes from Mars, all the while thinking of new theories, and ideas to save him.
Yet the jokes for the audience will never become annoying, and are well written. It was a blast to see Mark in the face of adversity instead of covering alone on the base just simply laughing at the face of death.

The characters portrayed by the actors at NASA are very good, and even the smallest role is well-crafted, and has its time to shine on the big screen. From Donald Glover’s 15 minutes of Fame, to Kristin Wig as the cautious media manager of NASA everyone is providing their A game. The movie hits the best marks when it comes to directing, actors, and the script, but how does the movie actually look?

It is beautiful!

Yes, that sentence above can pretty much sum up my opinion of the movie’s visuals. One of the best looking movies of 2015, even though it does not have lasers, CGI monsters, or even giant balls of explosions. The movie’s visuals is simple, but all the more convincing. Nothing stands out, Mars, the weather, the effects, and the props all fit in to the realistic category, and it was something that I could envision being used down the line by NASA. Everything was realistic down to the landscape of Mars.

An unforgettable road trip

The Martian is probably one of the best Scifi movies of 2015, and the best looking one. While it does not offer philosophical musings of Interstellar it is a much more grounded, and down to Earth story of a near future’s Robinson Crusoe. I recommend this movie to anyone, and it is best viewed with family and friends, and maybe a few NASA scientist to point out where they helped with the making of the movie.

-Dante-