Surviving the harshest of environments

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2015)

I'm not really sure about this movie. It was good, it was really, really good, but it just didn't seem to have the impact that a truly great movie has. I would have to say that there is this indescribable element that any form of literature has that moves it from being just good to being something great, and I have to say that this movie does not seem to have it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it – the story was great, the characters were awesome, and it kept me glued to my seat right until the end, but there was something about it that upon leaving the cinema I simply could not say 'woah, that was one awesome movie'. I would be tempted to say that it was Ridley Scott, but then again he has made some pretty awesome movies in his time (Alien for instance).
I'm sure we all know the story to this film – it has been flogged enough in the cinemas, on the posters at tram stops, and almost anywhere else that a film can be flogged. Mark Whittney is an astronaut on one of the first expeditions to Mars but the crew are caught in a huge dust storm and are forced to flee. Unfortunately Whitney is struck by flying debris and left for dead. However it turns out that he isn't dead, so now begins the challenge of not only staying alive on a dead planet, but also working out a way to get home.
This is one of those films for science geeks because the book upon which it is based was written by somebody who was incredibly thorough with his scientific research. Sure, it is possible to grow food on a barren and lifeless planet, as long as there are nutrients to inject into the soil (there are) and water to feed the plants (he manages to create it). However we are also given more detailed look into how NASA actually organises their space missions (the generally send rockets up beforehand to leave supplies along the way).
The thing about this film is that it does capture that romantic idea of a mission to Mars. The thing is that it is possible, though such a mission will also be incredibly expensive. In a way Mars is the closet planet to us that will not kill us if we were to attempt to land upon it (Venus and it's acid rain, as well as its proximity to the Sun, just would not be a viable choice, and don't even consider Mercury). It is also a film about humanity's will to survive, with Whitney surviving on Mars a reflection of humanity's will to survive despite living in a hostile universe. However it also reflects humanity's compassion and willingness not to leave anyone behind (though of course the old debate of why risk the lives of others to save the life of one does surface).