Vaughn Bassett
The Martian
Review
Space is truly the final frontier. Already we’ve put men on the moon, sent space crafts to take pictures of planets in our solar system and sent rovers to other worlds. One thing we haven’t done however, is put a man on our cousin planet, Mars.

Over the years there have been various documentaries, comics, tv shows and books depicting and fantasizing about what it would be like to put people on the big red planet. Among one of these imaginative tales is the book “The Martian” by Andy Weir. The book received critical acclaim and received a film adaptation under the direction of the legendary Ridley Scott. But does the film adaptation exceed the greatness of the book?

This film’s story begins with the Ares 3 crew conducting various experiments on Mars. During this the crew is of Ares 3 is not acting serious. This is brilliant character establishment because it immediately establishes a fast connection to the characters and the audience, which is critical to the first thirty minutes of any movie. Later on in the scene it is made evident that a massive sandstorm is on it’s way so the crew needs to leave the planet. During the escape we meet our main character, Mark Watney played by Matt Damon. Mark Watney is struck by debris leading the crew to believe he is dead, so they leave without him. Several days later Mark wakes up to a searing pain in his abdomen and sand stacked up on his body. Mark gets up wipes himself off and starts walking towards the research base. As Mark gets there he realizes he has been left behind by the crew, so he decides upon himself to survive as long as possible by growing food and exploring the martian terrain while at the same time, trying to leave Mars.

The rest of the film is a touching story of human perseverance and a roller coaster of suspense and joy as Mark Watney attempts to not only survive but also escape. The story is very inspiring, but there is only one problem. Mark seems to be able to do things a little too easily. In order to generate heat, Mark had to dig up a nuclear reactor which he did with no problem. It would have been better to see Mark make a few mistakes even though he is supposed to be one of the best and brightest. Even with this slight flaw, the story is still one of the driving factors of this movie and should not be discounted.

This movie also has some great acting, direction and character development thanks to Ridley Scott. The acting in this movie is this film’s strong suit, and it helps build an attachment between Mark and the viewers. Jeff Daniels plays the CEO of NASA and the character is a tough take nothing from nobody kind of guy. He also portrayed Harry Lloyd in the “Dumb and Dumber” films, so for him to go from that character to a dramatic role shows how great the acting in this movie was. The best example of acting in the movie however, was the scene in which Mark was mending his wound. His screams of pain and his reactions to him digging around in his own skin had people at home and in the theater squirming in their seats.

The film’s direction also comes in play with the film’s soundtrack. As music should do, the music in this film sets the mood which is key to building emotion. The other thing to mention is the movie’s stunning visuals. With the help of modern technology, the producers were able to re-create the environment of Mars, and the visual effects look beautiful and very realistic.

The film’s many high points and few low points help create and leave a lasting impact on the viewer and depicts what it will be like to put a man on Mars. With such an amazing story, spectacular acting and fantastic visual effects, the film deserves an honest 9 out of 10. Look for “The Martian” to get an Oscar nod in early 2016.