See it at the Movies

THE MARTIAN

Joyce and Don Fowler
Posted 10/8/15

****

(Tense Space Adventure)

Matt Damon is terrific as Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who is left for dead on Mars when a mission is aborted due to extreme storm conditions.

But wait! Mark …

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See it at the Movies

THE MARTIAN

Posted

****

(Tense Space Adventure)

Matt Damon is terrific as Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who is left for dead on Mars when a mission is aborted due to extreme storm conditions.

But wait! Mark is not dead, although he has been injured and needs to get back to his space station, where he faces the reality that it will take a rescue mission four years to get to him, and he only has a year’s worth of food.

Mark is more than and astronaut. He is also a botanist, and figures out a way to grow potatoes. He is also an optimist and scientist, using his brain power and survival skills to stay alive and healthy, and eventually communicate with NASA.

Based on the best selling novel by Andy Weir, the two hour and 20 minute movie is filled with complicated scientific jargon that is brought down to our level. Even though we don’t understand it all, we buy into it and root for Mark to survive.

He records his every moment for posterity, keeping his sense of humor as he listens to his commander’s horrible disco tapes, works endlessly on complicated theories that will keep him alive, overcomes serious setbacks, and eventually finds better ways to communicate with those back home.

Besides being exciting science fiction, the movie convinces us that this could possibly happen, although there are many close encounters that make the possibility of bringing Mark back home nothing short of miraculous.

We see the adventure from a number of perspectives. Back at NASA, politics, science, and reality play a part in decisions on whether to rescue one man at the expense of many others.

We feel the guilt of his fellow astronauts who left him for dead when NASA finally tells them he is alive.

Action switches from Mars to Earth and shows us different perspectives. Always, one lonely, determined man is at the center.

The press, the general public, NASA officials, and even the Chinese play a part in the saga, with time marching on, leaving us wondering how on earth Mark could survive.

The filming on Mars was actually done in Jordan. It is hard to believe that there is a location on earth that looks like the distant planet.

There is a nice ending to this wonderful, tense, uplifting movie that should be rewarded at Oscar time.

Rated PG-13, with some profanity used sparingly at times when 99 percent of us would use it.

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