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The Martian. A Chant Dedicated to Science
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In recent years, Ridley Scott's films cannot be described as important personal works. However with Mars, the director of Blade Runner and Alien returns to the screens with a passionate, intelligent, realistic and funny story. Based on scientific facts according to NASA, the film explains mainly the struggle for survival of the protagonist (Matt Damon) and his fantastic talent to overcome adversity. He is Robinson Crusoe or Luis Alejandro Velasco on Mars.
A team of astronauts collecting information on this planet is forced to leave the mission under threat of a storm. Damon is hit by a piece of an antenna and is knocked unconscious. The members of the crew thinking he is dead begin their journey to Earth. Then the protagonist regains consciousness and must fend for himself in extreme conditions to stay alive. The story could lead to a very tragic end, but Scott decides to approach it from a carefree perspective, even with some funny moments. The astronaut lives moments of despair, but he also knows how to joke about his situation as when he relates his experiences in a video diary or talks to the control centre on Earth. So that, two different perspectives lead to two opposing realities. On the one hand, we have the protagonist entirely alone, concentrating all his efforts on growing potatoes, getting water and trying to keep in touch with Earth. On the other hand, the NASA executives attempting to save the spaceman and get good press.
It is a pleasure for the audience to wander around Mars and enjoy its magnificent orange landscapes and deathly silence. We get excited when Damon picks potatoes grown with his excrements or when he creates water from a strange combustion. But we also grieve when he feels an absolute loneliness or thinks that he will not get out alive. Although Scott did not want to create a hero, we will have the feeling that not everyone can perform these heroic deeds.
Texts: Núria Farré. facebook@cinemaperaestudiants.cat
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