By Flynn Geraghty
Recently, scientists at NASA announced they had discovered flowing water on Mars. Being the space nerd I am, I was flipping out. So, what perfect timing that a movie about Mars comes out only a few days after.
“The Martian” stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut who was left behind on Mars after his crew thought he was killed. News of his survival reaches NASA and they try to find some way to bring him home. Meanwhile, back on Mars, Watney uses whatever he can to beat the odds and survive as he awaits his chance to be rescued.
In order to enjoy this movie, you really have to like Damon’s character since his story is what the movie revolves around. However, I could see people genuinely having trouble doing that. What the movie tried to do was make him kind of like Peter Quill from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” He’s always got a cocky remark, he jams out to some funky tunes every once in awhile and he’s just too cool for school. I could see people either really enjoying him or totally hating him. As for me, I can’t say I always loved him and his antics, but I did enjoy watching his small triumphs and I felt for him when things seemed bleak. If anything, Matt Damon’s acting really makes the character pull through.
In general, the acting in this movie was actually pretty good. The supporting actors gave it their all and worked well with what they had been given. And honorable mention goes to Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor. His acting probably the best out of the bunch and his character was one I can truly say I liked watching the entire way through.
While the acting was realistic, at times the movie wasn’t. “The Martian” asks you to believe some really farfetched things.
While it doesn’t go to infinity and beyond, I still enjoyed “The Martian.” Despite all of its weaker elements, there’s still some substance to be found. Is it something I would buy for my DVD collection and watch time and time again? No. Is it something I would watch once or twice after it comes out on DVD? Most definitely.