“The Martian” places far more value on thrilling plot and chilling suspense over sci-fi and dorky physics know-how. This principle has always been a strong suit of director Ridley Scott, who consistently uses sci-fi and out-of-this-world settings to create very entertaining thrills with simple yet engaging plot elements.
Scott rids the film entirely of exposition and character introduction, a daring but successful choice. Instead, the film brings the viewer immediately to Mars and gradually introduces each character into the movie by showing their name and NASA position on-screen as they appear. This movie has one goal in mind: provide two hours and twenty-one minutes of thrill and gloss over unnecessary mumbo-jumbo. The dense sci-fi and physics garble, corny themes, forced character arcs, useless love stories and over-the-top special effects are muted to allow the core of the story to shine.
“The Martian” capitalizes on the fact that space is terrifying and makes for a great setting for a survival story. In this vein, “The Martian” functions like “Gravity” and “Interstellar” but with less focus on character development and hyper-realistic effects and more focus on pure thrills.
“The Martian” is not putting all its eggs in one basket by focusing on keeping us at the edge of our seats. Rather, the focus is what makes the movie a success. Every other element of the film also contributes to its splendor. The desolate Mars landscape, Murphy’s law in full force and the realistic feel of the technology make for a very engaging and entertaining flick. It also doesn’t hurt that the film is surprisingly hilarious at times, an uncommon feat in a genre that tends to take itself too seriously.
While largely entertaining, the 533-day mission to and from Mars occasionally feels as if it is occurring in real time. The film is not perfect in its pacing, as some of the survival montages on Mars are a bit drawn out. Matt Damon does a fine job, as does the rest of the cast. One casting choice that feels very off, however, is Kristen Wiig, who plays a random supporting role that provides neither comic relief nor any plot progression, distracting in the background.
The humor, adventure and realism make for a good time regardless. It is a decent survival adventure that focuses on what it advertises: thrill and suspense. This film will likely not go in the history books, nor will it sweep the Academy Awards, but it’s entertaining, simple and gorgeous — three things most movies struggle with immensely.
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