Matt Damon’s critically acclaimed sci-fi box office hit is now streaming on Max. While the beloved actor, screenwriter, and producer is celebrated to this day for his action roles and hisBoston-themed movies, Damon’s career made a strong pivot in2013 with the release ofElysium, which introduced Damon to the sci-fi blockbuster. Damon then went on to have a surprise cameo in Christopher Nolan’scelebrated intergalactic filmInterstellarbefore starring in Ridley Scott’sThe Martian, which was nominated for 7 Oscars. These threesci-fi outer space movies are some of the strongest in Damon’s acting career.
Known for directing some of the most iconic movies of all time such asAlien,Gladiator, andBlade Runner, Ridley Scott took a lighter approach to the sci-fi genre with The Martian. Capable of making audiences both laugh and cry thanks to Damon’s arguably career-best performance,The Martianwas a critical hit when it first came out in 2015, earninga Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 91%. AlthoughThe Martianmade a big splash at the 88th Academy Awards held in February 2016, it was unable to take home any Oscars including Best Actor for Damon, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture.
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Damon Plays A US Astronaut Who Must Survive Alone On Mars
The Martianwas adapted for the screen by screenwriter Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods,Daredevil,World War Z) based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Andy Weir. The official logline forThe Martianreads as follows, “An astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.”
Watney is unintentionally left behind on Mars after a dangerous storm separates him from his crew
While most sci-fi movies set in outer space carry a degree of intensity and even horror,The Martianis much more focused on the survival story of Damon’s Mark Watney protagonist andoddly becomes a feel-good movie by its end. Watney is unintentionally left behind on Mars after a dangerous storm separates him from his crew, consisting of Chastain’s Melissa Lewis, Michael Peña’s Rick Martinez, Sebastian Stan’s Chris Beck, and Kate Mara’s Beth Johanssen.
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After being struck by debris, the crew presumes that Watney is dead and is forced to leave him behind. Watney miraculously survives the storm and makes it back to the crew’s surface habitat or “Hab” where he is able to recover. Cut off from his crew and the entire planet,Watney, a botanist, must focus on creating a sustainable food supply and survive long enough to make contact with NASAand be rescued.
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WhileThe Martianis not based on a true story,the film has received praise for being one of the most scientifically accurate sci-fi and outer space moviesever made. This is similar to Christopher Nolan’sInterstellar,a film in which Damon also appeared in a surprise cameo as a cowardly astronaut named Dr. Mann. Interestingly, Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain also had crucial roles in bothThe MartianandInterstellar, playing astronaut commander Melissa Lewis in the former and the adult version of Murph in the latter.
The Martianis set in the year 2035 andInterstellartakes place in 2067.
Interstellarwas a great launching pad for Damon before starring inThe Martianone year later. BothThe MartianandInterstellarare set in the not-so-distant future, allowing both Scott and Nolan to dive into their respective futuristic visions of space travel while still maintaining cutting-edge scientific authenticity.The Martianis set in the year 2035 andInterstellartakes place in 2067.
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WhileInterstellaruses theoretical physics to accelerate its story,The Martianis a much more universally accessible film, relying on Damon’s charisma and positive attitude to keep its momentum going.The Martianis much more straightforward and traditionally structured thanInterstellar, which is basically a one-of-a-kind cinematic achievement, making it very easy to watch and get into.
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Scott has been nominated for the Best Director Academy Award four times, withThe Martianearning him his most recent nomination. While it may be a surprising fact,The Martianis the highest-grossing movie of Scott’s directing career by a wide margin,earning $630 million worldwide against a production budget of $108 million. In second and third place are his 5-time Oscar winnerGladiator($458 million worldwide) andAlienprequelPrometheus($403 million worldwide).
How Long Mark Watney Was On Mars In The Martian
Here’s how much time Mark Watney, Matt Damon’s character in The Martian (2015), spent on Mars, and why it took so long for him to be rescued.
Adjusting for inflation,Gladiatorwould have earned $836.5 million by today’s standards, which is strangely almost identical to the adjusted box office total ofThe Martian($836 million). At any rate, Damon is a major box office draw and the magnificence ofInterstellarcertainly gaveThe Martiana great opportunity at the 2015 box office. It was the tenth highest-grossing movie in a historic year at the movies, led byStar Wars: The Force Awakens'$2 billion total.
$165 million
$108 million
$705 million
$630 million
73%
91%
86%
The Martian
Cast
Adapted by Ridley Scott from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, The Martian follows the plight of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) after he finds himself stranded alone on Mars after he is falsely presumed dead during a mission. Unable to communicate with Earth and armed with little more than his scientific expertise as a botanist, Watney must find a way to survive on the barren planet until the next scheduled mission arrives.
