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| Matt Damon staring across the desolate nothingness of Mars - The Martian |
Generally a film which includes the names Ridley Scott, Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain is enough to guarantee not only commercial success but also the viewer's confidence that there will be painstaking attention to technical detail with a dramatic plot. This is partly the case with The Martian directed by Ridley Scott based on the novel by Andy Weir, adapted into a screenplay by Drew Goddard.
In terms of the storyline for this film, astronaut and botanist, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) a member of the Ares III mission is accidently left behind on Mars when the mission team is forced to evacuate the planet due to a massive storm which threatens to topple their planetary lander. Mission Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) unaware her team member is alive commences the return flight to Earth. Mission Control however become aware that Watney is alive from satellite surveillance of the mission site and commence plans to rescue him from Mars before his supplies are exhausted. When these plans fail, it is up to Lewis and her team to attempt the impossible and return to Mars to execute the rescue.
In terms of the storyline for this film, astronaut and botanist, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) a member of the Ares III mission is accidently left behind on Mars when the mission team is forced to evacuate the planet due to a massive storm which threatens to topple their planetary lander. Mission Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) unaware her team member is alive commences the return flight to Earth. Mission Control however become aware that Watney is alive from satellite surveillance of the mission site and commence plans to rescue him from Mars before his supplies are exhausted. When these plans fail, it is up to Lewis and her team to attempt the impossible and return to Mars to execute the rescue.
This is a high production value film in respect of sets, CGI animation, locations and so on. The principal photography is superb yet even so, the film's flaws are almost comical. Although in the sci fi genre, The Martian is far more fiction than science yet its story is one which is clearly the opposite. The close cooperation of NASA in the technical advice for the film and its promotion including on the International Space Station only adds to the science-speculation of many aspects. Mars, for example, has little atmosphere so massive storms do not occur and Mars gravity is only 40% of Earth gravity hence the Earth-like movement of the astronauts on the surface is out-of-place.
In terms of acting, Matt Damon is, well, simply being Matt Damon in something akin to a chapter in the 'Boys Own Annual of an Adventure on Mars'. Robinson Crusoe he is not and unlike the shipwrecked mariner of the past, he does have contact not only with his crewmates in transit to Earth but also with Mission Control.
The film was shot at the Korda Studios in Hungary and Wadi Rum in Jordan providing a stunning visual landscape. With a budget of $108 million the film had grossed $478.4 million by November 2015 providing a more than adequate return for the investment.
The film was shot at the Korda Studios in Hungary and Wadi Rum in Jordan providing a stunning visual landscape. With a budget of $108 million the film had grossed $478.4 million by November 2015 providing a more than adequate return for the investment.
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