"The Martian" Proves Me Wrong

"There is a theory which states that the universe is built on uncertainty and that a definitive statement/action creates a momentary energy vacuum into which flows a diametrically opposing statement/action. Famous vacuum-inducing statements include: 'Surely that's not going to fit in there.' 'I am sick of betting the same numbers every week. They are never going to come up.' 'We are a peaceful people. Not even the Armorfiends of Striterax would want to pick a fight with us.' 'You look gorgeous in that sweater, Felix. There is no way anyone is going to call you a freak and throw you in a dumple composter.'"

-Eoin Colfer, And Another Thing...

I guess that's what happened after I said that Mars is boring. It took its sweet time coming back to bite me, but bite me it did. First we find out there's actual, flowing water on Mars, and then less than a week later The Martian comes out and makes me fall in love with the Red Planet. And yes, SPOILERS FOLLOW.

Based on the novel by webcomic artist Andy Weir, The Martian is only the second movie in the space of a year to feature Matt Damon stuck on another planet. And despite my growing love of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, I actually think The Martian may be a better movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it's even "harder" sci-fi than Nolan's movie, and perhaps most importantly, levity is in no short supply. Also, there is so much clever MacGyvering in this movie.

I saw this movie in 3D and for once, I'm glad I did. I've seen my fair share of movies in 3D but only because the showtime was convenient; the only thing I resent more than shelling out $14 for a two-hour movie is being assaulted with nightmare-fuel-loaded horror trailers in the pre-show when all I wanted was to see Matt Damon stuck on Mars (hey guys, PG-13 is not an invitation for you to induce night terrors). But I digress...

This movie benefits from the 3D because of all the long shots of the Martian landscape (Acidalia Planitia, to be specific). And what a landscape it is!

Source: comingsoon.net

The backgrounds are just beautiful; they remind me of the planets that Spaceman Spiff would often crash into (Bill Watterson was a pro at that). The landscapes are often dynamic with dust clouds racing by in the yellow-gray sky or even dust devils spinning around (and yes, those do really happen on Mars).

The view of one of Mars's moons does crop up in a few shots too. I'm assuming it's Phobos because it's much closer to the planet and therefore a lot bigger. It didn't appear to be moving visibly in the sky though, which may make sense because the shots only last a few seconds. In reality though, Phobos takes less than eight hours to orbit the planet. When you compare that to the 28 days it takes our moon to orbit, that's pretty impressive.

Phobos transiting Deimos as seen from the Curiosity rover - in real time.

I do feel obligated to point out one or two potential flaws in the story (I won't blame the film because it is an adaptation). First of all, Mars's average atmospheric pressure is only about 600 pascals. That's about 0.6% of Earth sea level pressure. Now the less air there is, the less force the wind has. Ergo, no Martian dust storm should be capable of threatening to knock over your landing craft or making it look like you've been killed by flying debris. But I'll forgive that because A. Andy Weir himself acknowledged this and B. you might not have a story without this liberty.

Also, apparently there is evidence that the planet's soil contains toxic metals like arsenic and something called hexavalent chromium. This is never addressed when Damon's character uses Martian soil to grow his potato plants. Now I don't know what kinds of concentrations are in the soil, or whether it finds its way into the potatoes and thus into Matt Damon. Even then, exposure to carcinogens does not automatically equal a guarantee of cancer. Still, I'd have liked to see it addressed. Maybe it's discussed in the novel, which I haven't read yet (though it is at the top of my list). Still, when you consider that Interstellar presented frozen clouds, these are minor quibbles.

This is a movie worth seeing. It's worth seeing in 3D. See Mars like you've never seen it before.

Source: wallpapershome.com

I was wrong. Mars is awesome.