I had planned, when I heard this film was coming out, to have rad the book before hand. I'm not one of those people that bangs on about how the book is always better than the film, but I just like doing it in that order. Anyway, I never got around to it. Usually I have a good idea of the story, or at least the premise of a movie before I watch it. On this occasion, I knew it was set in space (*Notting Hill voice in my head*) but that was pretty much it.
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristin Wiig and Jeff Daniels are just four names in what is a truly stellar cast. The story follows a mission to Mars set in the future. I'm not spoiling anything by telling you someone gets left behind. Mark Watney (Damon) has to figure out a way to survive for the next indeterminate number of years, until the next Mars mission reaches him for rescue.
The film is gripping. It's engaging. It's exciting and it's pretty beautiful.. and I'm not just talking about Damon. I can only assume that it is a pretty close representation of the events in the book - but that's guesswork as people seem to like it. The thought of being stuck in space, on a foreign planet, just you.. it was terrifying and ironically quite claustrophobic. It doesn't take a lot of science to blind me, and this film certainly managed it. I don't know if this chemical mixed with that chemical shaken and not stirred will make your potatoes grow, but I sure had fun watching someone else work it out. I don't remember seeing a space film I didn't like. Watching this was like watching Gravity, but with a smile.
Highly, highly recommended.
The Martian - 9/10
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