These are unprecedented times and even as we adjust to the new realities, one needs to stay sane too. Make sure you preserve that sense of humour as you go through the tough times! On my list of top ten movies to watch, especially with children or teenagers is this weekend’s recommendation.
ASHOK’s FIVE reasons to watch Riddley Scott’s #THEMARTIAN starring the redoubtable Matt Damon and streaming on #Disneyplushotstar. I must confess that this is a personal favourite of mine and with a PG13+ rating, an all seasons watch along with family. #TheMartian is a space adventure, science fiction film, a saga of man versus the universe and the story of how knowledge coupled with perseverance can move mountains. However, the real reason I keep going back to #TheMartian is the funny quips that Matt Damon delivers amidst everything that is going wrong. There is nothing more uplifting than good humour in the face of adversity!
The story of #The Martian starts with how the Ares spaceship crew led by Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) leaves behind astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) on the red planet presuming that he is dead after a storm. Matt wakes up to find himself alone on Mars and fights all odds to survive hoping that NASA will be able to rescue him during the next mission. Along the way, he “sciences the sh** out of (his) nightmares” and goes about fixing his spacesuit, producing sustainable water, re-establishing contact with earth, figuring out a mobility solution and even growing potatoes to survive on an inhospitable terrain. It is an incredible journey of courage, optimism, conviction and creativity.
1. Matt Damon is a true delight as he never once loses his sense of humour along the lonely and arduous journey. He calls himself “Space Pirate Mark Watney” and realises that he has by law colonised Mars by growing crops there. He discovers Commander Lewis’s music collection that includes disco hits from the 70s and it is hilarious to watch him listen incredulously to the foot-stomping “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. The film is rather long but never ever boring and it is incredible that a solitary actor can hold your attention so completely. Matt won the Best Actor Award at the Golden Globes 2016 for this performance and the film won the Best Motion Picture Award.
2. Based on Andy Weir’s novel, #TheMartian is unlike your typical space adventure film. Definitely not edgy as Gravity, the drama is the centrepiece here. The cinematography, 3D effects and the special effects create the vast and barren terrain of Mars and creates a stunning impact. This is perhaps Riddley Scott’s best work after Black Hawk Down.
3. Screenwriter Drew Goddard infuses humorous quips into a tale of a man fighting for survival. One of the most striking images is that of Mark Watney fixing the helmet of his spacesuit with cello tape. Then again, the sequences where he uses tarp to cover the HAB or a hammer to create the required pressure to accelerate towards Ares are raw and signify how basic instinct co-exists with advanced science and technology to aid man’s quest for survival.
4. Scott manages to assemble a very credible cast that includes #JessicaChastain as the Commander, #MichelPena as pilot Martinez, specialists Beele (#SebastianStan), Vogel (#AkselHennie), Johansson (#KateMara) in space. Audiences will remember Kate from the House of Cards where she played journo Zoe Barnes. Complementing this team perfectly is the NASA team comprising #ChiwetelEjifor as Vincent Kapoor, the Mars Mission Director, #SeanBenn as the Ares flight director and the voice of conscience, #JeffDaniels as the head of NASA and #KristenWiig as the PR head. #DonaldGlover’s Rich Purnell adds that extra spice as the maverick youngster who finds a solution to the problem but doesn’t know who the head of NASA is. The script also weaves in some international cooperation with NASA getting help from the Chinese in the rescue mission.
5. Apollo 13 had a line “Failure is not an Option” and I remember having a sticker with this line on my car for many years. In missions like this, it takes enormous collaboration, respect for others and precision planning to leverage the best minds in technology. While Matt Watney is displaying amazing levels of ingenuity alone in Space, it is the perfect understanding and empathy that his colleagues display that enables the rescue mission. From a narrative perspective, the video dairies maintained by Mark are brilliant and capture his struggle for survival brilliantly.
I am going with a 4.5 on 5 for #The Martian for an uplifting story and brilliant acting. On day one of his solitary adventure, Mark Watney tells himself “I am not gonna die here” and that simple affirmation shines through in the next couple of hours as he conquers his biggest fear. The most enduring image in the film is that of the potato shoot that emerges from the soil bed and Mark looks down lovingly at it and says, “Hello There”. Reminds you of Cast Away where Tom Hanks stays sane talking to that coconut shell throughout his stay on the desolate island. Stay safe, Stay Sane and keep those humorous one-liners coming folks!
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