The Martian - Save Mark Watney

Finally it's done: the first humans have reached Mars in an international space mission. But during the mission, a devastating storm hits the planet and the crew has to leave Mars in a hurry. At the last second, they manage to save themselves in their space shuttle and begin the journey back to Earth. Only one remains behind: astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who apparently died during the storm. But Watney isn't dead and is now all alone on a planet where survival is actually impossible for a human. However, he doesn't give up that easily. With his expertise and a lot of will to survive, the trained botanist tries to make a makeshift home for himself until he is rescued. But to do so, he must first make contact with Earth.

Director Ridley Scott has truly not only brought masterpieces to the cinemas in recent years. But with The Martian - Save Mark Watney, a film adaptation of the bestseller by Andy Weir, the maker of classics like Alien or Blade Runner once again delivers something really great. The exciting story is told from three perspectives: from that of Mark Watney, who against all odds and desperately fights for his survival on Mars. From that of the NASA team on Earth, who work feverishly on a rescue mission after learning that Watney is still alive. And finally, from that of Watney's team, who must make a difficult decision on the way to Earth to retrieve their comrade left behind. With tightly knit dramaturgy and first-rate actors, Scott weaves these three storylines into a gripping whole that makes the film's nearly two-and-a-half-hour running time fly by.

Andy Weir made a point of ensuring that his novel was as accurate as possible from a scientific standpoint. At least in theory, all that he describes should actually be feasible. Scott made a similar demand on his film adaptation and therefore consulted several scientific advisors, among others from NASA. Apart from the big storm at the beginning of the film, which serves a purely dramaturgical purpose, Watney's survival strategies and the efforts of his rescuers are definitely based on facts that could theoretically be applied to Mars. But if you're now worried that The Martian - Save Mark Watney is an extremely dry film, brimming with scientific concepts, you can be reassured. Ridley Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard manage perfectly to bring science and entertainment together to conjure up a very entertaining, rousing sci-fi version of Cast Away with MacGyver elements.

Watney copes with his difficult fate on Mars with a surprising amount of humour, which makes for some really good laughs time and time again. These provide an effective counterpoint to the successful moments of suspense that keep you pressed into the cinema seat, especially in 3D. The special effects are great and make you quickly forget that it wasn't really shot on Mars. One of the best aspects of the film, however, is Matt Damon, who delivers a truly great performance here. Anyone who still doubts the actor's great talent will be proven wrong here at the latest. But also the rest of the ensemble, especially Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Kristen Wiig, delivers wonderful performances that make the film also on an acting level to a treat.

The Martian - Save Mark Watney is entertainment cinema on a very high level. Technically brilliant, dramaturgically thrilling and with first-class acting, the film actually offers no real reason for criticism. A great adventure that is simply fun and that makes excellent use of the possibilities that cinema offers. For this there is a very clear: Absolutely worth seeing!!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp