Movie review: “The Martian”

This archived article was written by: Nathaniel Woodward

For decades the purpose of movies has been to incite the imagination by taking us far into the past or distantly into the future, the mystery entertains our minds and occasionally spurs us to change. Changes in policy, attitude or politics have all been influenced by the silver screen, for better or worse.
Perhaps most powerful of all, in recent years, have been based in science fiction. Films like “Interstellar” took us far from home in search of new planets to inhabit and made us think about how we manage the resources we enjoy. Recently released in this genre was “The Martian,” a film based on the book of the same name.
“The Martian” not only stood up to what “Interstellar” accomplished but surpassed it in every way, save distance travelled from Earth. The story focused on the “Hatchet”-like adventures of stranded NASA astronaut Mark Watney as he struggles to survive stranded 100 million miles away on Mars.
Watney and NASA masterfully represent everything about our species that is good and noble, injecting new hope into what it means to be human.
The film successfully demonstrates how a single person can encapsulate the gambit of human emotion. Watney’s journey holds within itself the hopes, dreams, fears, pain and humor of an entire planet.
The book is a work of art and stands alone on its own merits, however the film takes its own liberties with the story and creates a whole new sense of wonder in veterans to “The Martian” novel. After watching, I feel satisfied in their depiction of Andy Weirs work, the actors, directors, cinematographers, screenwriters and sound engineers all played their respective roles perfectly. Well done, the King of Mars would be proud.
“The Martian” is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jeff Daniels.
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