Review: The Martian (2015)

Wow what a relief to see a movie that's actually good again...

So, anyways, after much procrastination, I've finally managed to see Ridley Scott's populist science fiction flick, The Martian, which proves to be an unabashedly unpretentious and entertaining film.

Let it be known that I have very little love for the majority of Ridley Scott's work. More often then not, with the exception of the unparalleled sci-fi/horror masterpiece Alien and the visceral war film Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott's films tend to be overblown, self important affairs with weak stories, and uninspired direction (don't believe me? Just watch Gladiator, Robin Hood or Exodus: Gods and Kings for evidence to that). But thankfully, with this film, Scott is finally able to create a film that manages to entertain, and has an engaging story, no doubt helped by Drew Goddard's witty and relatable screenplay.

Scott's direction is nice and understated, and his working with the complex visual effects, and his handling of getting all across in a direct, accessible manner, is pitch-perfect. He proves to be an intuitive comedy director, injecting the scenes with a light, almost frothy sense of fun and aplomb, and firmly distances the film from the increasing self seriousness of the genre (as exhibited in 2014's Interstellar, which, ironically, feels more like a Ridley Scott film then this film). And in doing so, that makes the film a breath of fresh air, and something this unabashedly entertaining, and fun, is a relief.

Matt Damon does what's probably one of his best performances in awhile as the snarky, long suffering and intuitive Mark Watney, and a lot of this film's sucess rests on his shoulders. Being able to make Watney snarky while still keeping him likable and relatable is something Damon does unexpectedly well, as Damon as of late, like Scott, has placed himself in increasingly self-serious affairs, and so to see Damon kick back and relax in this role, and really have fun, is a ton of fun to watch.

The rest of the cast also do great jobs in their roles, ranging from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover, Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Sean Bean and more all doing great jobs in their parts. Now, it can be argued that most of the cast doesn't get much in the way of character development, but it's clear that this film is more in the vein of a fun, laid back romp, and not a complex character piece, and so I can forgive it for that.

The music, by Harry Gregson-Williams, is quite good, and is an approprately broad and expansive soundtrack, and gratefully avoids the "Zimmer horn" effect that plagues sci-fi film scores. Instead, Gregson-Williams prefers more subtle, pulsing electronic effects, balanced with some string work. It's not showy, attention grabbing music, but it's prime for the film, and fits it perfectly.

Bonus points for a bevvy of wonderfully kitchy disco songs making a fun little bit of spice on top of the musical texture of the film, an element that Watney in-universe complains about in a very amusing (and no doubt relatable) way. Thankfully, it really is a "Best of Disco" type of line up, from Gloria Gainer to ABBA to The O'Jays.

The VFX work and cinematography are all great, and the film is briskly paced for a two and a half hour movie, not really dragging thankfully. It moves steadily from plot point to plot point, and since the tone remains upbeat and unpretentious, it flows by quite nicely.

So, yes, I do believe The Martian is a very enjoyable, unpretentious blockbuster, and certainly one of Ridley Scott's better films, especially of this decade. It sets out to entertain, and it does so wonderfully.

5 out of 5 stars.

Comments

[Kriysix]

I agree the Martian was surprising entertaining.