Trailer Trashin’: Matt Damon is Lost in Space in The Martian Official Trailer
It’s the last weekend of August, dear readers, and the summer movie season is at an end. But there’s still plenty of cool stuff coming to our theaters this year, from James Bond to Star Wars and everything in between. This week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ takes a look at The Martian, the upcoming sci-fi film from director Ridley Scott.
Premise: A manned mission to Mars goes awry, and astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind on the planet by his crew. Watney fights to survive in the harsh environment and to signal to others that he is still alive. Upon discovering Watney’s signal NASA, scientists all around Earth, and his crew members collaborate to find a way to rescue him.
My take: English filmmaker Ridley Scott has had a good relationship with science-fiction. The two films that helped put him on the map were Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982), both classics of the genre. But he didn’t do another sci-fi film for three decades, until he directed Prometheus (2012), which definitely had more of a mixed reception. Now, Scott is returning to sci-fi again with The Martian, based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir. A new trailer has arrived for The Martian, and it definitely looks like one to keep an eye on.
0:13-0:14: Several of the astronauts in spacesuits lined up, with Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) front and center. Because this is a movie, the spacesuit helmets are huge and apparently have internal lights, so we can see the actors’ faces.
0:17-0:18: Nice aerial shot of the surface of Mars. All that’s missing is Doctor Manhattan sitting around, being all mopey.
0:23-0:25: Don’t astronauts have devices attached to them that monitor their vital signs at all times? Therefore, since Mark Watney is alive, wouldn’t the others be able to tell? I know the real answer is “because then there wouldn’t be a story,” but I hope the film will address this, and it’s just not included in the trailer.
0:48-0:49: Nice moody shot of the interior of the Mars habitat. Definitely reminds me of the Nostromo from Alien.
0:54-1:06: As the Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower” starts up, Watney sums up what he’ll have to do to survive until help can arrive.
1:31-1:33: “So I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this.” Already one of my favorite movie lines of 2015.
1:47: Watney in his spacesuit, with duct tape over a crack in his helmet’s faceplate.
1:54-1:55: SEAN BEAN!!! Always good to see him in something. And given that he doesn’t appear to be one of the astronauts, his character might actually make it through this film alive.
2:16-2:17: Some kind of fiery explosion inside the Mars habitat, which throws Watney backward into the wall. The poor guy just can’t catch a break.
2:32-2:36: Close-up on Watney’s face, as lights flash and everything around him shakes. This really looks like he’s onboard a ship that’s taking off. But given that there’s no crack in his helmet, this might be from an earlier point in the film.
So yeah, this looks like it could be pretty good. A new Ridley Scott film is always something I’ll look forward to, and it’s nice to see him doing sci-fi again. When the beginning of October rolls around, there’s a good chance I’ll be checking out The Martian for myself.
ANTICIPATION: Houston, I don’t think we have a problem.
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, and Donald Glover
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir
Timothy Monforton
