The Martian (film)

The Martian is a 2015 science fiction survival film. Ridley Scott directed it, and Drew Goddard wrote the screenplay. The movie is based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel and was released by 20th Century Fox. Matt Damon plays the lead role of astronaut Mark Watney. The ensemble cast also includes Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, and Mackenzie Davis. The story follows an astronaut who is stranded on Mars and must survive alone while NASA works to bring him home.

Producer Simon Kinberg started developing the film after Fox acquired the rights to the novel in March 2013. Goddard, who wrote the screenplay, was originally set to direct, but the project only moved forward after Scott took over as director and Damon was cast as the lead. Filming began in November 2014 and lasted about 70 days, with a budget of $108 million. Twenty sets were built on one of the largest sound stages in the world, located in Budapest, Hungary. Exterior scenes were also filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

The Martian premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2015. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 30 and in the United States on October 2, in formats including 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX. The film received critical acclaim and earned $630.6 million worldwide, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2015 and Scott's highest-grossing film to date. It was named one of the top ten films of 2015 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and it received seven nominations at the 88th Academy Awards.

The plot is set in 2035. The crew of the Ares III mission is exploring Acidalia Planitia on Mars during sol 18 of their 31-sol expedition. A severe dust storm threatens their Mars Ascent Vehicle, and during the evacuation, astronaut Mark Watney is hit by debris and presumed dead. The remaining crew launches to their orbiting ship, the Hermes, to return to Earth. Watney wakes up after the storm, having survived his injuries. He recovers in the crew's habitat and starts a video diary. Unable to contact Earth, his only hope is the next Mars mission, Ares IV, which will land at Schiaparelli crater in four years. The Ares IV MAV is already at the site. Watney, a botanist, grows potatoes inside the habitat using crew waste and Martian soil, and creates water from leftover rocket fuel. He also modifies a rover for the long trip to Schiaparelli.

On Earth, NASA satellite planner Mindy Park spots Watney's movement in satellite images and suspects he is alive. NASA director Teddy Sanders announces the news to the public but decides not to tell the Ares III crew, over flight director Mitch Henderson's objections. Watney explores the area and retrieves the Pathfinder probe to restore communications. Mars missions director Vincent Kapoor realizes this and visits JPL director Bruce Ng to use their replica of the probe. NASA makes contact with Watney and instructs him to link Pathfinder to the rover for text communication. Henderson is then allowed to inform Watney's crewmates.

One evening, a leak in the habitat's airlock causes an explosion that injures Watney and destroys his potato garden. He repairs the airlock but faces starvation again. NASA rushes to send a resupply ship, with Sanders ordering safety inspections skipped to speed things up. This leads to the ship disintegrating after launch. The China National Space Administration offers a launch vehicle originally meant for the Taiyang Shen space probe to resupply Watney. Astrophysicist Rich Purnell devises a plan to send the Taiyang Shen launcher to resupply the Hermes, which will then use Earth's gravity to slingshot back to Mars two years earlier than Ares IV. Sanders rejects the plan as too risky. Henderson secretly sends it to the crew, who vote in favor and divert the Hermes. Sanders publicly supports them but demands Henderson's resignation after the mission.

After months, Watney travels to the Ares IV MAV. He plans to use it to rendezvous with the Hermes but must lighten the craft by partially dismantling the cockpit. He launches into orbit, but the Hermes crew finds they are too far away and moving too fast to catch him. Commander Lewis improvises by exploding the ship's airlock, using the escaping air to slow them down. She pilots a tethered Manned Maneuvering Unit to reach Watney, but they are still too far apart. Watney pierces his pressure suit, using the escaping air to propel himself toward Lewis, and manages to grab hold. NASA and viewers worldwide celebrate the rescue.

After returning to Earth, Watney becomes a survival instructor for astronaut candidates. Five years later, as Ares V launches, those involved in his rescue are shown watching the launch footage.

Chastain prepared for her role by meeting with astronauts and scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. She was inspired by their work.