THE MARTIAN: THE PERFECT SCI-FI AT ANY TIME

The red planet has fascinated the human mind for as long as we’ve known it was there. Deep in our hearts, we’ve always known this particular planet was a hostile place: It’s why we named it Mars, after the Roman god of war.

The directors of “The Martian” were well aware of this fact, and combined with one of the greatest fears of space exploration – getting left behind – have made a powerful film out of the original novel of the same name, written by Andy Weir.

What is really well done is how both the book and the movie manage to make actual, accurate science not only entertaining, but interesting and understandable. I feel that I can fairly confidently say that the majority of people wouldn’t typically understand or have a lot of interest in watching someone create water by burning hydrogen. However, stranded astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) manages to not only make the scene interesting, but also fairly humorous, which mirrors the book extremely well.

Despite the rather grim premise (Watney being stranded alone on Mars), both book and movie do a surprising job of keeping things upbeat when possible, rendering a lot of the movie into almost a comedy. One of the constant themes is Watney’s hatred of some of the only entertainment that he still has access to on an abandoned Martian research station: disco music left behind by one of his team members.

Although the movie is generally fairly comedic, it does a good job of showing tension when necessary, making sure that viewers never forget that Watney is in a significant amount of danger despite how much he jokes.

While obviously there have never been manned Mars missions, this movie stays very much within the realm of possibility, using modern technology instead of shoe-horning in “future tech” as a plot device to make anything/everything possible.

Both movie and book are extremely well-written and made. If you’re in the mood for a thriller, a comedy, a space adventure, or are just bored and looking for something new, try The Martian. I was entertained from start to finish, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

4/5 stars