By Cynthia Biddlecomb“The Martian” may be our best bet this year to win Oscar’s Best Picture, Best Actor, and many of the technical awards! This movie has tragedy, struggle, smart guys and gals, witty repartee and great humor, fabulous special effects, and a positive message, all in perfect balance.
Matt Damon does a tremendous job as Mark Watney, astronaut and botanist, who, due to a freak accident in a terrible storm on Mars, is left for dead as his crewmates escape the planet. [OK, so the storms on Mars would never reach that gale force, despite their velocity, but it makes for a good story.] When he comes to, Watney begins to use every survival method he knows, every scientific resource at his disposal, and all of his critical thinking and training to innovate ways to stay alive until another mission can rescue him.
Back on earth, satellite imagery of the planet’s surface shows that, where NASA was certain it had lost an astronaut, there was now activity on the surface. Eventually, contact with Watney is established. He has grown some food. He has all the food rations meant for his five crewmates as well as his own. What can be done to rescue him before all that runs out?
The best minds at the Jet Propulsion Lab are put to the test. International help is offered. Things don’t go according to plan. The odd scientist proposes a save that gets rejected, then sent clandestinely to the crew still heading back to earth.
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) plays the captain of the aborted Mars mission. Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber) is the NASA Chief and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) is the head of Mars missions for NASA. Kristin Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean and Kate Mara also play compelling characters. The scenes of JPL and NASA folks working out how to rescue Mark show tremendous respect for all that it takes to put a space venture together.
Ridley Scott directed this film; the screenplay was written by Los Alamos native, Drew Goddard, based on the book by Andy Weir. At 141 minutes, The Martian is long and satisfying. It is rated PG-13 for “strong language, injury images and brief nudity”. High drama makes for much tension in the film, so it is not an easy ride for the viewer.
For those who can endure suspenseful movies, the payoff is glorious. We all feel as though we helped rescue Mark Watney at the end. And the 3D format helped us feel we were there on Mars. This could well be the best film this year. Do go and see it.