The Martian is a hard science-fiction movie that first aired on October 2. It’s based on a book (which was originally published as a blog) by Andy Weir.
“They say once you grow crops somewhere, you have officially colonized it. So, technically, I colonized Mars. In your face, Neil Armstrong!”
You might have guessed from the title that The Martian is about aliens. In a way, you’d be right, because the movie stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a human astronaut stranded on Mars. The movie casts an optimistic view of human spaceflight by glamorizing NASA and its astronauts.
The Martian begins when a severe storm comes upon a team of astronauts on Mars, threatening to blow over the rocket that they need to return to Earth. Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) decides to abort the ARES III mission and leads her team through a blinding storm of wind, dust, and pebbles to the rocket. But they don’t all make it: Watney is knocked away by debris and appears dead. After a few tense and dramatic minutes of searching for their comrade, the sad and stricken team blasts off into space in the nick of time.
Of course, Watney isn’t actually dead—yet. He’s stuck on Mars with no way to communicate with Earth, not enough food to last until the next Mars mission, and no good way to get to where it lands. Luckily, Watney has a few ideas for how to survive. Lifeless martian soil, bacteria-ridden human feces, and potatoes combine to make food. Supplying the Pathfinder rover with power allows him to communicate with NASA. Water for the potatoes comes from burning hydrogen gas—and as we know from the Hindenburg disaster—this is extremely dangerous.
Back on Earth, NASA discovers that Watney is still alive after Mindy Park (Mackenzie Davis) discovers that one of the mission’s rovers has been moved while reviewing satellite images—and so start the schemes to rescue Watney.
Where a superhero movie would show superheroes epically beating up villains, The Martian shows engineers solving problems in a very glamorous way. Much of the attitude seems to be “This is the only way Watney will live—so who cares if it’s extremely dangerous!” Watney uses a piece of highly radioactive metal as a heater. He launches himself into space in what is essentially a convertible. Watney’s fellow astronauts blow an airlock off of their spaceship and use the escaping air as thrust. And consider this:
“I admit it’s fatally dangerous, but I’d get to fly around like Iron Man.”
This is the vibe of the movie. As British physicist Brian Cox put it, “The Martian is the best advert for a career in engineering I’ve ever seen.”
As a proponent of STEM, I have to admit that I’m biased in favor of the movie. It was a thrilling and mostly-realistic two hours and twenty-one minutes of science-filled fun, replete with lines like:
“Technically, Mars is international waters, meaning Maritime Law applies. And since I am illegally commandeering a vessel in international water under maritime law, that makes me a pirate. Mark Watney: Space Pirate.”
The verdict? If you’re into STEM, this film is a must-see. And even if you’re not, seeing The Martian is well worth your time.