Not the film you think it is.

Rating: 7/10 (8 March 2016)

The Martian (2015) directed by Ridley Scott, written by Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir. This is not the film you think it is. To elaborate, the premise of the The Martian suggests a tale about one man's solitary struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds as he overcomes one hurdle after another while stranded on Mars. Isolated and detached from humanity in every sense of the word we would expect to see a mans emotional and intellectual battle with this overbearing desolation and the pain of never seeing his loved ones again. However, in stark contrast to this what we get is an eternally optimistic film with a persistently upbeat, wise-cracking protagonist set to a soundtrack of '70s disco music. The tone is consistently light throughout, save for a few fleeting moments such as when Matt Damon's character mentions his parents on earth or the brief moments when something doesn't quite go to plan at NASA. When they do encounter a problem it's resolved so quickly it scarcely seems to have posed any threat. The films insistence on never getting weighed down by it's subject matter unfortunately means that it fails to produce any real tension. From very early on in the film it's clear that everything will be OK by the end, one way or another this astronaut is getting home safe, that much you can be sure on. Consequently what we have then is an entertaining, easy to watch space travel story in which we watch an astronaut devise some nifty scientific devices to help him survive in his man made habitat while he waits for NASA to rescue him. There are several scenes where Damon's character actually seems to be enjoying himself. The character development is paper thin, he starts of a self assured, relatively cheerful every-man who endears himself to us almost instantly. By the end of the film he remains exactly that, his harrowing experience of surviving a harsh alien wasteland after being left for dead by his crew has failed to instill even the slightest sense of self-reflection or introspective behavior. The question then remains, does this make it a 'bad' film? My answer is no. It's just not what you'd expect from a Ridley Scott sci-fi. It's an easy going film with a likable protagonist, a healthy dose of humour with just a touch of sentimentality. I will say that I appreciated that we had both a female captain leading the space crew and not even the slightest hint of an unnecessary romantic subplot. Adjust your expectations and you'll have a good time. If, however, you were hoping for a masterpiece of suspense that brilliantly captures the terrifying dangers of space, Scott already made that film in 1979.