Ben Richter is a sophomore telecommunications major and writes film reviews for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Ben at brichter@bsu.edu.
With the Star Wars and Star Trek reboots, Interstellar, Gravity and Guardians of the Galaxy making their way into theaters, another space movie is hard-pressed to set itself apart. But The Martian, a smart adaptation of Andy Weir's novel by the same name makes no mistake about this.
Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is struck by a piece of debris at the onset of a serious storm on Mars, and the rest of his team leave him for dead as they execute an emergency evacuation. The troublesome bit is that he is, in fact, alive and stranded. As any of us can imagine, this situation has the potential to deflate someone's hope faster than a hole in your spacesuit, but the film does not focus on the negative. Though there are moments of paralyzing hopelessness, for the most part the film focuses on the practical solutions to the crises.
The film features a star-studded cast, and it certainly pays off. Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara and Donald Glover fill out the ensemble. The benefit of such a cast is made clear. From the introductory scene with the Ares crew, we see a dynamic that is thoroughly explored throughout the rest of the picture. With a story such as this, it would be easy to focus primarily on the survivor and his existential crises, but instead, it focuses on Watney's resolve and the people on Earth working together to get him back home.
Beyond the cast, the film benefits from a mostly upbeat soundtrack that hearkens to 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy playlist, set against the vivid blues of mission control and the red brown of Mars's surface. Harry Gregson-Williams' score mixes effectively with familiar artists such as David Bowie and ABBA.
Additionally, the set design is beautiful, especially the Mars scenes. Practical elements such as the cast and vehicles blend perfectly with the generated landscape. So much so that I had to consciously remind myself that they didn't travel to Mars and shoot this movie.
Matt Damon's performance is the best part of the film. He colors the character of Watney with a steely resolve we all aspire to retain in times of adversity. Deciding with the simple line that he will not die on Mars, he turns all of his attention to solving his immediate problems. Through equipment damage and vicious weather, he continues to plot endlessly on.
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Despite how good the good parts are, there are still some issues with the film. Watney's dialogue at times was cheesy and at other times painful. One particular line he exclaims, "In your face, Neil Armstrong," which feels heavy-handed, to say the least. Additionally, about halfway through the film, the plot begins to drag. It wasn't enough to get up and walk out, but certainly enough to be perceptible.
Despite the infrequent missteps, the movie leaves you feeling refreshed from the ubiquitous cynicism present in modern cinema. On the whole, this film's great power is in its positivity and that in times of need, we would come together for a cause greater than any single one of us.
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