It will survive

Rating: 9/10 (21 October 2015)

Poor Matt Damon. In movie history, there's never been an actor to have built a career around needing rescuing. In fact – hey, wait a moment, didn't we just watch some space movie last year about him being abandoned on a distant planet? What's the point of another one so soon? What a rip off! Grumble grumble, get off my lawn.
Okay, granted – the proximity to Damon's space marooning in Interstellar is a bizarre and unfortunate coincidence. But that's about where the similarities end between Nolan's space odyssey and Ridley Scott's The Martian. Yes, really. I promise. As Damon's astronaut Mark Watney might quip – "Trust me – I'm a botanist. We're well-versed in sh*t".
Quip is the operative word - considering the 'man down' premise and Scott's space pedigree, there is nary an ounce of Alien's claustrophobic astro-terror here. The Martian, is, quite surprisingly, one of the funniest films of the year. Thank Drew Goddard, as his masterfully nimble adaptation of Andy Weir's bestseller practically sparkles in not only making thorough scientific exposition thrilling, but systematically using it as set-up for some pricelessly memorable punchlines (there are countless such examples, but Watney's unpacking of how he qualifies as a space pirate is arguably the best). While the creator of Cabin in the Woods might seem an odd bedfellow for legendary classicist Scott, it's really quite thrilling to see their respective sensibilities click into place like the Canadarm - unorthodox, but as complimentary and effective as can be. Goddard circumvents Watney's isolation by motivating his dialogue through regular video log entries – a genius and surprisingly uncontrived touch – while Scott, master of spectacular setpieces, employs every trick in the book to tremendous effect. The film's immaculate editing paces with supremely satisfying steadiness, always gunning forward yet never rushing, allowing the tense bits to speak for themselves. The Mars storm which maroons Watney is a masterpiece of tension, but just wait until you see the climax which, in true Goddard fashion, is anchored on an Iron Man joke. Flawless. Throw in a soundtrack full of gleefully obnoxious disco songs peppering Harry Gregson-Williams' spectacularly playful yet lonely score, and we have liftoff, Major Tom.
That's not to say all is postmodern riffing here. Like many of its contemporaries, The Martian isn't afraid to go big with idea or emotions, meriting every second of the film's expansive running time. Thematically, apart from the obvious moral of every human life having worth (rousing in itself), the film is equally a love-letter to the adventurous spirit of scientific exploration, and space travel in particular (science hasn't looked this cool since Bill Nye). The film's release right after NASA's announcement of more space travel ventures being greenlit couldn't be better – between this, Interstellar, and Gravity, disasters and all, it's impossible to imagine being more pumped for space exploration. This is largely thanks to The Martian's exquisite, jaw-dropping visual effects and Mars scenery, so rich it's almost a character in itself, which gives the film (ironically) a far 'earthier' aesthetic than most planet-jaunting sci- fi. Even the 3D – normally extraneous – demonstrates painstakingly crafted depth of field for artistry, making The Martian one of the best looking films in many a recent year. And I'm not just talking about the cast.
Okay, okay - speaking of, we're blessed with a treasure trove of performers here. Leading the pack, as the eponymous 'Captain Blondebeard', Damon, gives arguably a career-best performance. His 'gee whiz' charm is counterbalanced by a perfectly honed wry wit and stoic confidence muscling through an underbelly of utter despair, of which we get only tasteful glimpses. In a film full of aforementioned bigness, Damon dedicatedly farms for small moments – see the infectious delight of his growing potatoes in his own feces in Martian soil, or his grim righteous indignation that having nothing but disco music to listen to is the worst part of his isolation, while his quiet "nah, I'm not gonna die here" may be the most emotionally pure moment of the year. There's never a moment of disbelief at NASA dropping and risking everything to bring home such a triumphant character.
Supporting Damon, each ensemble member are practically bursting at the seams to excel in their given moments. Chiwetel Ejiofor finds every scrap of warmth, humanity, and passion as NASA's Mars mission director, while Jessica Chastain infuses unseen reservoirs of dignity and moralism into her mission commander without descending into archetype. Jeff Daniels was born to chew on the grim, deadpan dialogue he is even here (his icy "I'm the director of NASA" is unforgettable), while Sean Bean is so ruggedly dignified and credible he even stomachs a Lord of the Rings gag without the screen imploding in a farcical meta overload. Michael Peña is pristinely funny while tastefully stopping short of the boorish mugging he is subjected to in Ant-Man, while Donald Glover (doing what Community fans will dub his best 'Abed impression') gives a hysterical cameo as a loopy and potentially genius astrophysicist. Kristen Wiig is unobtrusively effective in a rare dramatic role as NASA's PR director, while Sebastian Stan and Benedict Wong (whose entire career seems comprised of space movies) each give resonant performances. Even the normally intolerable Kate Mara's sulk is channelled well into the role of a snarky astroprogrammer – arguably the film's loftiest feat.
Space movies are a vast and intimidating genre, and The Martian isn't perfect therein – there's just an ounce of predictability a dash too much Hollywood polish for Scott and Goddard's work to reach the realm of the Kubrickian greats. Nonetheless, work this vibrant, visually gorgeous, and hugely entertaining is still necessary viewing. In terms of standing the test of time, The Martian, just like its concluding musical number, will survive.
-9/10