Movie: The Martian

The Martian: a survivalist film.  Matt Damon shows us how to survive on the planet Mars while awaiting rescue.  In the opening scenes, we are introduced to the Mars Mission crew.  Following the short introduction, a Martian sandstorm forces the crew to abandon its mission and leave the planet.  Mark Watney, the Damon character, is hit by debris as he’s running for the ship.  The Mission crew presumes Mark is dead and departs the planet.  When Mark awakes, the storm is over and his crewmates are heading back to Earth.  As the only person at the Mars NASA facility, Mark has enough food to last sixty days.  However, the flight time from Earth to Mars is nine months and Mark has no immediate way to let NASA know he is alive.  As the film unfolds, we learn how Mark survives by tackling one problem at a time:  creating a scheme by which he can provide himself with sufficient water; growing potatoes; and figuring out how to communicate with NASA.  The film is directed by Ridley Scott who again shows his ability to present intelligent and entertaining science fiction.  The Mars scenes were shot in the Wadi Rum in Jordon.  Some of the scenes were reminiscent of Monument Valley.  The cinematography by Dariusz Wolski is superb.  The supporting cast, including Jeff Daniels as head of NASA and Chiwetel Ejiofor as head of the Mars Mission, are also first rate.  The film could have been more tightly edited as it runs a little long at 141 minutes.  The running joke throughout the film involves the Mission commander’s love of disco music.  Since I’m not now and have never been a fan of this 1970’s genre, the musical score did not thrill me.  The humor, however, works.  The film is based upon Andy Weir’s 2011 novel of the same title.  The science appears to be reasonably accurate.  I’ve read that in planning its Mars Mission, NASA intends to use the same basic process Mark used to produce water.  An interesting segment of the storyline is that it is China’s National Space Administration that provides NASA with the booster rocket needed to get to Mars within the timeline required for Mark to survive.  Ridley Scott may have earned himself an Oscar nomination and it wouldn’t surprise me if there are a few other nominations.  The Martian is an excellent film.