Earlier this week I saw The Martian after a good friend of mine recommended it. Space stuff kind of freaks me out in a don't-think-too-hard-about-infinite-universe-for-too-long kind of way. So I hadn't really paid attention to the hype until I started hearing about how funny it was.
I was taken by surprise by this characteristic of the film. I kept hearing, over and over again, how much humor was in it. Wasn't this a disaster movie? A survival movie? A space-things-gone-wrong movie? An on-the-verge-of-death-the-whole-movie movie? So naturally I had to see it.
It is a funny movie.
It is also a thrilling movie, an inspiring movie, a touching movie, and a nerdy science movie.
I like to think I'm a pretty chill movie watcher. I don't spend very many movies feeling like I'm going to fall forward off the edge of my seat. I'm not nervously chomping my nails or clutching my heart. Usually. The Martian, however, is a jaw clenching, fist squeezing, heart pounding, breath stopping roller coaster basically from the word go. The first scene alone on Mars, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) performs minor surgery on himself--but now that I think about it, I should think that any surgery you must perform on yourself becomes major surgery. If you've ever had any weirdness towards medical procedures like I have-- such as an aversion to needles-- you know the feeling of anxiety right before a needle pricks you. The shortness of breath and the racing heartbeat that comes when you see the needle approach your exposed skin. Now imagine the needle is a rod, and it's already in you, and you have to take it out, and then sew yourself up with a glorified staple gun. Okay, now do it on Mars. This scene really set the tone for the movie. It's the only part of the movie that made me cringe at the gore, but the anxiety you feel during that scene is present for the rest of the movie.
It's also an inspiring movie. This guy is doing what is seemingly impossible. The movie is essentially a survival story and Mark Watney is really excellent at surviving. It's going to sound banal but I really enjoyed watching someone be really smart, and clever, and competent. It was really satisfying watching someone approach obstacles with intelligence and succeeding. I think plots often rely too heavily on the emotional, intellectual, or psychological struggle of characters to the point where the audience is overwhelmed with the feeling that the character(s) can't do anything right/ are totally inept. Too many times have I been sitting there and thinking, if only they talked to each other/ looked under the bed/ stopped an thought about the problem at hand, the movie would work out so much better. Before you tell me that character struggles and character flaws are a key ingredient in story telling, let me show you why you are wrong. Sherlock Holmes, Odysseus, Hermione, Doctor House, Tony Stark, The Doctor, Matilda, Miss Marple-- we like these characters because things come easily to them. Not that they don't face challenges, or that they don't have character flaws (looking at you, Stark), but they they overcome hurdles easily. They aren't bumbling and neither is Mark Watney. Which is why he is an inspiring character.
Not that this movie isn't without depth. I find that throughout the movie I feel for each of the characters. I get an appropriate level of emotional reality from each of the actors on screen. Matt Damon delivers a superb performance, as usual finding the right mixture of humor and emotional depth throughout the film. His delivery of some of the funnier lines in the film are laugh out loud hilarious, and in the same token, the more serious scenes are preformed so beautifully as to be heartbreaking. Other noteworthy touching performances are given by Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
In the end this movie is another nerdy science movie. It joins the ranks of Apollo 13, Interstellar, and Gravity, among others. The Martian gives you an alternative reality (or perhaps a small leap into the future) where our space program excels and our exploration into space is furthered. I appreciate this movie for being properly smart and nerdy. I could see this movie becoming a film that inspires people to look towards the stars with more than a passing thought. Perhaps it will inspire a new respect for our space program or inspire future astrophysicists. In any case, I really enjoyed it and I didn't even worry about infinite universe stuff while I was watching it.
I think I'll read the book.
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