Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Epic Starring Matt Damon Is 10 Years Old

Ten years ago,GladiatordirectorRidley Scottreleased an awesomesci-fimovie. It was calledThe Martian, and contrary to what the title suggests, it is not a film about little green men. Instead, it centers around Mark Watney, an astronaut played by Matt Damon, who finds himself stranded on Mars. Naturally, the big question is related to Watney’s return to Earth, but what Scott’s sci-fi gem also made us wonder, ishow Watney survivedon a planet that’s not hospitable.

Based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, and adapted by World War Z and Cloverfield writer Drew Goddard, The Martian is an entire movie made up of those questions. It provides a scientifically implausible yet relatively grounded answer in the form of a sci-fi epic whose predictability is the least of its issues. It’s a film that doesn’t play around with the idea that Damon’s lead character might not make it, and instead, makes a spectacle out of his journey. As dull as only eating potatoes for years sounds, The Martian is a wildly entertaining ride of a film.

Regardless of its implausible plot, The Martian was extremely successful upon release. With a $108 million budget, the film grossed more than $630 million at the box office, making it Scott’s highest-grossing film of his entire career (yes, even more than notable films like Alien and Gladiator). Audiences were ecstatic about the survival sci-fi movie that asked the right questions and forgot about the most complicated ones in favor of an exciting plot that explored ideas for surviving when being stranded on another planet.

What Is Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ About?

The Martian begins with an absolute disaster. The Ares III is a manned mission stationed on Mars facing something they couldn’t predict. A dust storm unexpectedly arrives, and they’re forced to evacuate the red planet. The problem is that astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead. Nevertheless, Watney is still alive and not dead as the team presumes. Using his intelligence, he arrives somewhere safe, but unfortunately, most of the equipment has been damaged. He has no way to communicate and let NASA know he’s alive. He is also running out of food.

However, Watney finds a way. He grows potatoes, and back on Earth, NASA finds out that Watney is alive using satellite images. Eventually, Watney and NASA start communicating, and begin planning a rescue mission that sounds bonkers. Per the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of the film:

When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.

While the movie stays very true to Weir’s remarkable novel, The Martian does take its liberties to make the story more cinematic. The tone is more refreshing than what the genre calls for, and the movie incorporates humor when it’s least expected. The Martian is, above everything else, an entertaining movie.

Nevertheless, it also follows Scott’s peculiar skill for science fiction. The balance is key to maintaining the film within its scientifically questionable but ultimately grounded setting. Seldom does Scott lose control over the plot, and the film subtly features the sci-fi tropes visible in previous films like Alien and Blade Runner.

The film worked for Scott. Not only was it very successful at the box office, but The Martian also got instant acclaim from critics. The film registers a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes (both in the critics’ and audience ratings). It was also recognized by the Academy, and they nominated The Martian for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Sadly, it didn’t win in any of the categories.

The Martian

Release Date

October 2, 2015

Runtime

2h 24m

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