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'The Martian': Houston, We Have a Hit
By Michael S. Goldberger, iBerkshires Film Critic
10:37AM / Friday, October 09, 2015
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Popcorn Column
by Michael S. Goldberger  

Twentieth Century Fox 
A sure-fire hit is putting Matt Damon in a lonesome dangerous place — and then rescuing him. Although in 'The Martian,' his astronaut Mark Watney is good at keeping himself alive/

You may want to prepare a little before seeing "The Martian," Ridley Scott's fantastical journey to Mars — and maybe back — starring Matt Damon in the title role. If you have the time, getting a Ph.D. at MIT should put you in good stead to at least comprehend the technical jargon in this superbly crafted, Space Age update on the "Robinson Crusoe" tale. If not, simply join me and the rest of the Great Unwashed who, taking it on faith that this is as realistic as it gets, opt to be marooned astronaut Mark Watney's Man Friday. It's an adventure you won't soon forget.

To say that this is the best science fiction film since "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) would doubtless be the untempered ebullience of having just been blown away by "The Martian's" engaging candor. Just the same, that I thought of the comparison is testament in itself. But getting back down to Earth, it's all a grand hypothesis, the saga of survival beautifully complemented by a very optimistic and heartwarming delve into humankind's capabilities. The crew is, to a man, and woman, the model of ingenuity and know-how.

out of 4

Adding to the rousing experience, director Scott, plying a script Drew Goddard adapted from Andy Weir's book, looks prophetically into our destiny while still channeling the dreamy essence of Buck Rogers and others who first strode the paths of cinema's alluring galaxies. Swept into a vicarious reverie, there I was again on the floor in the kitchen, age 7, back against chair on its side, a broomstick my majestic tiller to the great unknown and beyond. I could go anywhere.
 

OK ... so this is only to Mars, but gosh, set in that assumptive near future, where thankfully our heirs still aren't clad in body-fitting suits with Nehru collars, it all seems so possible. Just plan on being away 400 days or so. We've got the fuel, all sorts of gizmos and gadgetry to assure the supply of food, air, water and anything else necessary to our health and wellbeing. In short, contributing just a modicum of that suspension of disbelief your drama teacher told you about, this is pretty much the way it's going to be once we tool users iron out some wrinkles.

Matt Damon as our tour guide into the Brave New World does the All-American boy with notable aplomb. Faced with seemingly unconquerable odds when, after a storm on Mars he is presumed dead and left behind by fellow crew members of the good ship Hermes, he conveys the essence of heroism. Granted, it's a bit serendipity that his astronaut Watney Mark just happens to be a botanist … a vocation that will prove crucial to survival. But then, he's also a heck of an engineer, doctor, mechanic and a very quick study who somehow understands how-to manuals.

So exalting is the resultant tribute to the recruitment and training prowess of NASA that it briefly crosses the mind that this might be a product placement in thanks for any help that agency might have ministered to the project. Hey, I'm a critic. But no matter. Ultimately moved to override my ingrained cynicism by virtue of "The Martian's" stunning grandness and good nature, the black and white morality is a welcome if momentary change from the sketchy gray ethos that has of late become our accepted reality.

Oh, none of this is to say that it's all pie in the sky, pun shamefully intended. The scenario is fraught with disaster, the barren infinity a chilling proposition to contemplate. Though we're sure how this better end, the marvel is how director Scott nevertheless keeps the tension and suspense dialed to a full ten from start to finish. This includes the usual politics down on terra firma, a few anguishing snafus, and the requisite number of extraterrestrial barrels for our Martian to hurdle.

However, lest we worry too much, it's as if Watney is urging us to keep a stiff upper lip. We can't help but be skeptical of his resolute confidence in the face of such daunting odds. Possessing hopes even higher than that fabled ant determined to move the rubber tree plant, his example swells with the sort of parable we can only hope younger audiences will embrace. He's an explorer, cut from the same historical cloth as guys like Magellan, de Soto and Marco Polo. It's hard work, but they name things after you. Pessimists need not apply.

Damon exudes this rare virtue with a winning affability, making him the ideal person to be cast away with, assuming a Kim Basinger lookalike with similar survival skills is unavailable. Coupled with outstanding production standards, impressive special effects that heighten the authenticity and a solid supporting cast, "The Martian" makes for out of this world entertainment.

"The Martian," rated PG-13, is a Twentieth Century Fox release directed by Ridley Scott and stars Matt Damon, Jeff Daniels and Jessica Chastain. Running time: 141 minutes

 

 

 

 

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