Yes/No/Maybe So: The Martian
Monday, June 15, 2015 at 11:00AM
Manuel here to talk space trailers. It’s been a week since the trailer for Ridley Scott’s latest project about Matt Damon getting stranded in Mars dropped, and we have been mum about it here at TFE. Is it because we have no Fassy to look forward to this time around? Or because we prefer our Scott vehicles better when they involve a certain Ms Weaver? The Martian centers on Watney (Damon), an astronau that finds himself stranded in the red planet when a NASA mission is forced to quickly retreat. Alone, unable to contact Earth and armed only with a month's worth of food, he sets out to survive in a planet where, as he says in the trailer, nothing grows. Will his science-know how keep him alive long enough for him to call for help and wait for his team to rescue him from Mars? We'll have to wait until November to find out!
In the meantime, let's break down the trailer in true TFE-fashion:
YES
• Chastain. At this point I’ll watch this (other) redhead in anything; will she be given a more rounded character than in that other space travel film she and Damon were just in?
• Scott sure knows how to stage an action sequence and that opening storm sequence, or what little we see here, may just be what I’m most eager to see on the big screen.
• I've heard nothing but good things about the novel (anyone read it?) and gotta say, if we must have another ambitious outer space film, it might as well come from a master of the genre.
• It's a shame Drew Goddard gets no shout out in the trailer. His work on Buffy, Angel, Daredevil and Cabin in the Woods gives me hope that the script will be packed with the type of wit this kind of story needs.
• Wolski seems to be in fine form; I love the oranges of Mars pit against the blue hues of NASA & Earth. There’s also an entire Hit Me With Your Best Shot episode to be made on this trailer alone!
NO
• “Every human being has an instinct to help each other out…” So maudlin. So empty. Can the film lift this type of dialogue from its schmaltz? On a related note: what is it about recent outer space films (yes, think Gravity, think Interstellar) that seem so heavy handed when it comes to issues of capital H humanity? I know it's part of the genre (in the emptiness of of space, human life seems both infinitesimally small and inordinately special) but are there no other angles to plunder in such a genre?
MAYBE SO
• “I’m going to science the shit out of this”/”In your face Neil Armstrong!” - Am I humorless for not really buying Damon’s jokey delivery?
• The rest of the cast: Ejiofor. Mara. Glover. Wiig (!). You have to give it to Scott, he knows how to cast a film but why do we see so little of each, though? How much time do we spend with them, or is this more of a Gravity/Castaway situation? More importantly, perhaps: will the different tones these different actors bring to the table mesh well?
• Will Damon’s logs/voice-overs be able to overcome their intentionally expository purpose? How will the film make the sciencey aspects engaging? (the comparisons to Nolan's film won't end, right?)
Check out the full trailer below:
Verdict: I’m a Maybe So but I hear that’s mostly because I haven’t read the book which everyone raves about; plus, it’s been a while since I’ve been 100% on board for a Scott pic. But what about you? Share your YES/NO/MAYBE SOs with us in the comments.
Reader Comments (21)
The portentous stuff here is still FAR BETTER than what's in the Fantastic Four or Batman v Superman trailers. I'm a maybe, but leaning toward yes. (70%+ and I'll see it somehow.)
The only thing that makes me suspicious is that Damon's sequence in Interetellar was far and away the weakest because of his empty performance. Also, what is it with groups of people risking their lives for him? (Interstellar, Saving Private Ryan). He can't be THAT special...
putting a pic of damon's rack under the no section is not helping your argument
I'm a Maybe So. The Counselor was a beautiful disaster, but that Interstellar nonsense...oof. I thought Matt Damon was straight-up terrible in that (seriously, Razzie-worthy), while Jessica Chastain had a role so thankless it's amazing she said yes. Coupled with Elysium, I have to wonder why Damon seems hell-bent on back-to-back space-themed pictures (zzz) that show such little imagination or willingness to stretch he's like Kate Beckinsale and her output of vampire films in the mid-'00s. (And this streak right after Behind the Candelabra, in which he was best in show!) Anyway, Kristin Wiig looked continuously pained and worried, which I hope doesn't bode badly for the film or her part.
As a big fan of the book, I am a YES. But thoughts on the trailer--damn it! Do they have to tell the whole story? Why is a 3.29 minute trailer a good idea for ANY movie?
Also, why has this been moved up from its original November release date?
And, if Ridley Scott and company remove the humor from the original source material I'm gonna be pissed. Lines like "I'm going to science the shit out of this." are crucial. The book was tense, charming, funny, poignant all at once, if basically implausible, which made it a delightful summer time read. The casting of Matt Damon is perfect if the script aligns with the book. Not sure why they needed to so many other "stars" to play the other roles.
I'm a yes. Love the premise, the cast; the cinematography is pretty stunning, Matt Damon looks gorgeous (seriously, this is the best he's looked in... what, ten years?), I don't see any real warning signs here, except for the fact that it's a Ridley Scott movie, and he hasn't made a start to finish good movie in a looooooong time. It's geting into Lucy with the football territotory, but I'm still pulling for another classic from Sir Ridley.
Yes! I loved the book and Damon is perfect casting as the likable, smart everyman (oxymoron? maybe, whatever) he is portraying here. I have a feeling that the delivery of the lines you're not crazy about will likely work better in context. At least, here's hoping.
Also a Maybe So, also not feeling his joke-y line readings. Of course, I've slowly turned on Damon ever since he went from a charismatic, capital-MS Movie Star to schlubby, aw-shucks, regular guy mode, showing up on red carpets like a suburban substitute math teacher. And his performances have always been kind of hit or miss since the fantastic one-two punch of Good Will Hunting and Talented Mr. Ripley. His "entrance" in Interstellar was a fantastic moment that had me all "yes! he's trying again!" And then...not so much.
This looks like all of the footage cut out of Interstellar upon the realization that no one cared about Matt Damon's character enough to spend that much time with him. Couple that with my recent distaste fore Ridley Scott after his Gods and Kings casting debacle, and I'm a very tenuous "maybe."
I know, right, par?
I'm on the yes for 3 reasons: loved the book, it looks gorgeous, and Jessica Chastain.
That said, am I the only one that having read the book do not picture Damon in the role at all? To me this almost makes me go maybe so. There is a kind of humour in the book that I really don't think Damon can pull off without making it sound cheesy. And the line delivery on the trailer really is not helping his case.
Probably a rental. The book is great but is NOT cinematic at all. If they are truthful to the book tgere will be lots of self narration & talking to oneself. I hope the cast isn't wasted, there is really only 1 well rounded character in the book and that's Damon. No one else registers.
Maybe So / Probably Not. Unless a series of reviews convince me otherwise (which I doubt already based on the trailer's dialogue.) Damon looks good though! And Ridley Scott makes it a maybe so all by himself, so I can't count it out. I've actually really enjoyed and appreciated his most recent films, though they've been far from masterpieces. (Counselor / Exodus).
I got really excited when I read this post and thought Danny Glover was in it. Disappointing! Even so, I'll probably see it for Chastain and Wiig.
I like the trailer. I think "science the shit out of it" is not how an actual science person would say it, it seemed self-consciously dumbed-down.
My big fear here is that the science was so shoddy and kind of insulting in Prometheus--I don't trust Ridley Scott to make his brainy movie really brainy.
On the other hand, this could be REALLY brainy AND fun. So I'm a tentative yes.
Ridley Scott - Matt Damon Go To Mars! Yes
Well, I listened to the audiobook and it was very entertaining, and surprisingly funny. I was dismayed when I read that Matt Damon had been cast in the leading role. He seems all wrong to me. Has he ever landed a funny line before? He seems completely serious ALL THE TIME.
I pictured Chris Pratt in my mind as I was listening to the book, but of course Chris Pratt is now the biggest star in the world and can't be in everything. Still, they need that self deprecating humor from someone you kinda sorta think might be able to pull the whole thing off.
Robert Downey Jr. could have played the jokey part I guess.
The book reads exactly like that jokey delivery, i.e. hackneyed, cliched and not vaguely realistic in the least bit. The character does not CHANGE in any fundamental way throughout the book, which is perplexing since he's completely alone on Mars. We'll see if the movie is any good.
It's a shame Drew Goddard gets no shout out in the trailer. His work on Buffy, Angel, Daredevil and Cabin in the Woods gives me hope that the script will be packed with the type of wit this kind of story needs.
Hoo boy - this is a positive for people?
I've said it before - I've completely given up on Scott. There's no excuse for his last three films; one of which (Prometheus) should have been a slam dunk. All the things you've said are still true - his films are nice to look at and when there is action it's entertaining. So why are the scripts so terrible? How does he continue to pull such talented actors when they're completely (save Fassbender's David and maybe Diaz in The Counselor) so miscast for their roles? My expectations are so low for this that if there is any praise beyond the effects, I'll be shocked.
Is this the joke Lifetime movie with Kristin Wiig. Total no for me - Damon is a dullard and Jessica Chastain talking again to a computer screen is a giant no.
@Rahul - you're damn straight it is. I would have been a "Yes" in any case due to the genre, but Goddard's writing is an added plus. The dialog and monologues will be witty.