Matt on Mars

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2017)

Okay, I'll admit it – I'm not a huge Matt Damon fan. I can't get that impression of him from 'Team America: World Police' out of my head (if you've seen the film you'll know the one I mean!). Therefore, when I heard that 'The Martian' was about him being an astronaut stranded on Mars, my initial reaction was oh, well, never mind. However, after watching the film, I'm still no real convert for Matt himself, but I can say that the film is actually pretty good.
It's been getting quite a lot of praise heaped upon it and, although I did enjoy it, I'd hardly liken it to the classic that some people are hailing it as. As I've said, Matt Damon is part of the first manned mission to Mars and, when a freak sandstorm hits, his crew are forced to perform an emergency evacuation, stranding him there in the process. I knew that going into the film and actually expected it to be only about Matt Damon, hardly ever featuring anyone else. I was pleased to say that the scenes on the red planet are constantly interspersed with those back on Earth as the rest of the world (well, Nasa mainly) is tasked with the solution to finding him a way back home. But, ultimately, it's Matt's show and it's mainly about him. And, I'm pleased to say he comes across as a likable guy to be stuck on – technically – an alien planet with (at least from an audience's perspective anyway!).
So, he goes about his business doing his best to survive with the limited resources he has to hand. It's nice to see a film where it's actually quite dramatic without the need for all those other – apparent – nasties that Mars has spawned. Matt Damon's life is difficult enough staying warm, without worrying about green bug-headed aliens in flying saucers, ghosts who possess your body and force you to self-mutilate, or borderline fascist corporate men in suits who want to keep the air for themselves in order to stay in power.
I should probably mention that it's directed by Ridley Scott who, when he's not doing weird things to the 'Alien' franchise, still has it when it comes to directing epic landscapes and beautiful scenery. Also, it's originally based on a book of the same name; I haven't read that (I barely have time to watch a two hours film, let alone read words!) so I can't really comment on how faithful this adaptation really is.
It's hard to say too much more about this film. It's a nicely-simply affair and the threat comes from the harsh environment Matt Damon is stranded in, rather than the afore-mentioned other filmic nasties from Mars. Okay, so there's a little conflict with the other characters back on Earth with how they deal with the 'political' fallout that stems from effectively blasting off from orbit and not bothering to check whether one of your people was still planting potatoes! Plus, when I saw the run-time was over two hours I did wonder whether it would hold my attention and I'm pleased to say that it did. I'd definitely watch this again, maybe not soon, but it's worth a second watch at some point.