The Martian

Do you want a really good book to read? 

Then read The Martian by Andy Weir. Because of my commute-by-lightrail, I have a lot of time in any given week to read between that and reading while doing cardio at the gym. I usually get through about 10-20 books per year depending on some of their sizes. In the last 5 years I've read a LOT of good books, but I'd qualify two that stand out as my favorite. One is Ready Player One, and the other is, as you probably have guessed, The Martian. It's a thrilling read told in several formats, each of which works well. Main character Mark Watney (played by Damon in the film) is as charismatic as they come and despite the deadly situation he's in, he's still cracking jokes and solving the science to let him survive. 

So when a film adaptation was announced for The Martian, I can't say I was really surprised, just more curious as to how they were going to make this film. The book has so much science and math in certain sections that casual readers could mistake it for a textbook. For nerds like me, it was awesome, but in a movie theater you'll put people to sleep. Furthermore, part of the book's charm was from it's protagonist, Mark, discussing plot events via video log. Again, obviously something that needed to change for the film but overall I was worried that the film's spirit may not match that of a novel that I most certainly (if I rated books) would have given a "10/10 -- Instant Classic" score to. 

Having seen the film, I'd still argue for the camp that the book is still better, BUT this is honestly about as great an adaptation of the source material as you could hope for and it results in yet another fascinating entry in the "realistic" space sci-fi genre that seems to be riding a high (i.e. Interstellar and Gravity).  

Man Harry sure has gotten serious ever since Lloyd died...

"I'm Matt f**king Damon!!"

If you've been living under a rock, The Martian is a survival tale of an astronaut that gets left on Mars because his crew believed he was dead. Mars is a LONG ways away so he really doesn't have enough oxygen, water, or food to last him until a supply drop or another Mars mission could arrive, not to mention the unpredictable and dangerous weather that exists on Mars. This man is Mark Watney (Damon) and he is a botanist (though also a very capable engineer, mathematician, etc.). The film tells the exact same story as the novel which is smart because the material is brilliant and given some of Scott's recent films, Exodus: Gods and Kings and the abysmal The Counselor, he's in need of some really strong material to work with. As is the case with most adaptations, this is basically an abbreviated version, hitting all the main points and climaxes. As far as adapting a screenplay, the film does a good job at omitting whole sections, rather than briefly visiting them and creating a jumbled mess. For example, near the end of the novel, Watney encounters a storm (that's all the details I'll give you), but this portion is completely removed from the film. Am I sad to see it go? Yeah. But I also don't think anyone wants to sit through a 3-4 hour movie. 

The cast, other than having almost every main character being played by a distractingly famous actor/actress, is superb with everyone able to capture their character's spirit and charisma effectively. Obviously, the first one that deserves mention is Matt Damon. He breaths life into this highly watchable, witty, and lovable character and it fosters a sense of camaraderie with the audience, resulting in us rooting right along with him to get rescued. Next up would be Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor for each playing key NASA executives on the ground, both just trying to do their best at managing the public, saving Mark, and upholding NASA's reputation. I was happy the film didn't shy away from the action back on earth because it's some of the best chapters in the book and it really helps to break up the Damon-only red planet scenes. 

When you really want that 99 cent cookie but only have 98 cents.

As one would expect with a Ridley Scott directed film, it looks great. The scenes on Mars are gorgeous, with deep caverns, jagged peaks, and swirls of dust in the background of almost every scene. The set design is futuristic, but not unrealistic, which is another aspect of The Martian that deserves a shout-out: it feels like its based on a true story. Obviously, as of 2015, it's not, but it is created in a world so similar to our own that one might think it's actually happening in 2017 or 2018. 

Really my only complaints with The Martian lie in the emotional ties it has with the audience, or rather lack there of. Sure, I was a bit teary eyed near the end, but I wasn't feeling the film as much as I would anticipate. I've had this issue with several of Scott's last films where I'll enjoy watching them, but I don't feel them. The Martian is certainly a step up in that regard, but still not where I expected it to be. For me, I can attribute most of that to the original score which I found strong in only a few areas, and lacking in others while pretty cliche in the spots where it counted. 

Mark Watney: technically a Space Pirate

The Martian is a fantastic adaptation to one of my favorite books in the last few years and I think it also represents a much needed win for Ridley Scott. It shows that, given the right material, he can still knock it out of the park and deliver a highly entertaining and crowd-pleasing film. The film itself delivers in nearly every department and is something that almost any moviegoer can find some type of enjoyment in. It's a great way to start a very busy movie month.

CONS:

• Some (read: very little) of the science is explained in blink-and-you'll-miss-it dialogue. Might be hard for some moviegoers to keep up
• I wouldn't say it was an emotionless experience for me, but it failed to create the really strong emotional connection that I thought it would
• Some of the lesser characters are played by big name stars. It distracted me a tad
• Inconsistent original score that isn't at its best when it's needed most

PROS:

• This was a hard book to adapt, I'm sure. Ridley Scott and team did a fantastic job at doing so and I appreciated that, rather than cramming everything in there, they picked and chose certain events to include and certain ones to exclude. Very solid abbreviated adaptation of an iconic book
• Damon anchors the film effectively giving us a funny, charming, and relatable Mark Watney that is a very easy character to root for. His struggle is our own and his wins are our wins
• Great organization of what's happening back on Earth. There's a lot going on and the film manages it beautifully
• Strong performances from the rest of the cast, especially Daniels and Ejiofor
• Superb visuals. Mars looks great and the film has a very realistic sci-fi feel to it
• Speaking of realism, great sense that this is something that could actually happen
• A crowd pleasing film that is often funny, intense, and riveting making the 2+ hour runtime breeze by

Rath's Review Score: 9/10