The Martian ****

“I am the greatest botanist on this planet”, says Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who’s been left behind on Mars – presumed dead – as the only living soul. The ever-likeable Matt Damon convincingly plays Watney in another standout role, just that like that of Jason Bourne in the Bourne saga.

Watney’s line is one of the many in this gripping solo delivery and would ordinarily seem corny in a big blockbuster but demonstrates a playful comedic theme that runs right through director Ridley Scott’s new space epic, The Martian. The story’s intriguing contrast is the serious subject matter of Watney’s situation verses his positive can-do attitude and will to survive that render his situation more accessible to us and ‘lightens’ the mood.

That’s not to say Scott’s sumptuous cinematic spectacle – one of his best in a long time – doesn’t pull any action-packed punches and rack the tension sky high when needed. Indeed, The Martian comes with a surprising number of nail-biting moments that Watney encounters then resolves to the best of his ability – and with some devilish, sarcastic wit. There is also the daring grand finale that stretches credibility somewhat but works.

Back on Earth, NASA boffins and chiefs try to figure out how to get him back – or face an international PR disaster, much along the lines of many a space disaster movie such as Apollo 13. The fascination here is not mechanical fixes as such, but botanical ones – the first movie of its kind to relish the appearance of the humble potato. Apart from our curiosity about possible survival on Mars, it’s the very fact that Watney uses his environment and man’s ‘space junk’ to make Mars inhabitable that makes The Martian something different from the rest of the space disaster bunch.

Damon does not act entirely alone – albeit in parallel – in the film, getting some tremendous support from the likes of Jessica Chastain (Watney’s compromised commander), Jeff Daniels (NASA chief) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (another harassed NASA big-wig who has to find operational solutions). There are even some commendable performances from Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Michael Peña and Kate Mara to name a few that each serve their purpose to bolster the storyline.

In fact, nothing, it seems, human or inanimate, goes to waste here, making The Martian a very satisfying watch and a return to the Scott glory days.

4/5 stars

By @FilmGazer

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