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The Martian

age 12+
(i)

 

Excellent space thriller mixes peril, charm, real science.
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  • Review Date: October 2, 2015
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Release Year: 2015
  • Running Time: 141 minutes

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What parents need to know

Positive messages

A tribute to the triumphs of science, teamwork, and the human spirit. Watney believes in his mind and what he knows about science to get him through each day and to keep him alive until NASA can send help. The NASA and JPL scientists and Chinese space program work together to help Watney.

Positive role models

Watney is a stellar role model of perseverance and intelligence under unthinkable conditions. He never gives up, even when things look bleak; he always brainstorms until he finds a possible solution. Almost all of the astronauts and scientists are willing to put in extra hours, travel the globe, collaborate with others, and do whatever it takes to ensure Watney's survival. The characters are racially diverse and include strong women, although the gender split is less even than the ethnic/racial diversity.

Violence

Perilous scenes of the Ares 3 crew's evacuation and when Watney is struck and vanishes. Later he has to remove a part that impaled him in the chest and staple the bloody wound shut. He survives again and again as things blow up and injure but don't kill him. His weight loss becomes startling by the end of the movie. Rescue scenes are scary and tense.

Sex

It's not sexual, but there's one shot of Watney rail-thin and naked from behind. One kiss.

Language

Watney curses fairly often, as does NASA communications officer Annie. Words used include one "f--k," plus "s--t," "a--hole," "damn," etc.

Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Martian is a sci-fi space thriller based on Andy Weir's best-selling novel, a popular book among both adult and teen readers. Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut accidentally left behind on Mars when his crew thinks he died during an emergency evacuation. Expect some salty language (including "f--k," which is somewhat understandable given Watney's dire circumstances), a quick glimpse of Damon's rail-thin naked body from behind, a gory moment when Watney has to deal with a serious wound, and tense moments of peril, including the initial wind storm that results in Watney getting knocked out and impaled, subsequent explosions, and other life-and-death situations. Despite the strong language, this is a compelling, diversely cast thriller for middle schoolers and up who are interested in space travel, science, technology, and, of course, science-fiction.

What's the story?

Set in the near future, THE MARTIAN stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, the botanist on NASA's manned Ares 3 mission to Mars. Watney and the rest of the crew are working on Mars when a storm forces them to evacuate early. But when Watney's knocked unconscious and isn't in sight, mission commander Lewis (Jessica Chastain), pilot Martinez (Michael Peña), and specialists Beck (Sebastian Stan), Vogel (Aksel Hennie), and Johanssen (Kate Mara), despondently presume him dead and leave him behind. Watney survives, but with no way to communicate, he must brainstorm ways to ration and grow food, make water, and otherwise survive with meager supplies as literally the only man on the entire planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, a NASA satellite analyst (Mackenzie Davis) believes Watney's alive; once it's confirmed, all of NASA -- and the world's greatest minds -- collaborate to try and find a way to rescue him.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Damon's charm, humor, and gravitas make this smart, action-packed adaptation an all-around perfect film for families with curious, science-loving teens and older tweens. It's equal parts Cast Away, Apollo 13, and Gravity: Like Tom Hanks in the former, Damon must portray the evolution of someone left for dead, but Watney's situation doesn't allow him to sit around eating tropical fruit; he must work hard every single day to ensure he's not going to die. And while the movie isn't ceaselessly intense like Gravity, there are dizzyingly tense parts in store for those who haven't read the book and don't know what happens. As for the Apollo 13 comparison, that (along with Damon's performance) is where The Martian proves remarkable: It focuses not just on Watney's survival, but also on how the ground teams at NASA and at Jet Propulsion Laboratory work nonstop to come up with solutions to bring him home.

The acting ensemble is terrific. In addition to Damon and the Areas 3 crew, led by Chastain and Peña, the all-star cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor as the Mars mission director, Jeff Daniels as the cautious head of NASA, Kristen Wiig as a put-upon NASA public-relations director (and the only non-scientist in the movie), and Sean Bean as the brash Ares 3 flight director. But in the end, of course, this is Damon's show, and he doesn't disappoint; he's funny, smart, and generally so charming that viewers will be with Watney every step of the way. The only music he can listen to is Lewis' impressive digital collection of disco, and the '70s soundtrack provides surprisingly perfect accompaniment to Watney's various challenges, like "Hot Stuff" when he figures out a way to keep warm, or the end-credits song, which is too perfect to spoil. There are few movies that have it all: big-budget artistry, wonderful performances, humor, and real heart, but with The Martian, Ridley Scott has managed to make his best film since Black Hawk Down.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about why survivor stories are so popular. How is The Martian different than, say, Cast Away, Gravity, or 127 Hours?

  • Is Mark Watney a role model? What makes him such a fascinating character? What drives him to keep experimenting? What does his story teach us about surviving emergencies closer to home?

  • Is The Martian scary? If not, how would you describe the feelings you had while watching Watney struggle to survive? What makes a story a thriller?

  • The cast is noticeably diverse, but there are more men than women portrayed as working at NASA and JPL. Is this true to life? If so, how can girls be encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences?

  • If you've read the book, how well does the story translate to the big screen? What elements or moments did the filmmakers get right? What parts did you miss? Those who haven't read the book: Does the movie make you want to read it?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:October 2, 2015
DVD release date:January 12, 2016
Cast:Matt Damon, Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain
Director:Ridley Scott
Studio:Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Genre:Science Fiction
Topics:Book characters, Space and aliens
Character strengths:Courage, Perseverance
Run time:141 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:some strong language, injury images, and brief nudity
Awards/Honors:Common Sense Seal, Golden Globe

This review of The Martian was written by

Sandie Angulo Chen
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Quality

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parent Written byfuzzycat October 2, 2015
age 6+
Great for anyone who loves science. A good story about how one should never give up and that one can find a way even in a hopeless situation. There wasn't anything objectionable for my 7-year-old to see, but I thought he would be squeamish about the scene early on where Watney has a wound which he has to staple, and there is some blood. Also, kids might find some slow parts boring when nothing much is going on. It is not non-stop action. As for swearing, there were a few f words, all in appropriate context, but, trust me, they use worse words in kindergarten.
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Parent of a 3 and 7 year old Written byletticepalmer November 3, 2015
age 7+

No bad guys. Cooperative problem solving. ZERO weapons.

My son is on the very extreme side of things when it comes to sensitivity. He still refuses to watch most Pixar films. Finding Nemo would be WAY too intense for him, and he even has trouble making it through My Little Pony. With The Martian, there was just one scene that he had trouble with, and it was early on in the story and involved some very explicit self administered surgery. After that hurdle was passed, this movie was a pure joy for my son, who responded well to the intelligent and deliberate pacing of the film. What helps this movie a lot is that it doesn't attempt to milk the suspense. The use of the F word in the film was entirely appropriate in my opinion. It is exactly how that word is used, and any 7 year old has almost surely heard an adult use those words in that way. The back nudity was a total non-issue for me as well. It was a fantastic film that was a showcase for creative and cooperative problem solving. It is a film I would hope almost every child could see, because it provides such a great positive message about what all those school lessons in science and math can be used for. Some children really have a tough time sitting through a movie that doesn't have an easy plot to follow, and that is really the main challenge. The other MAJOR issue is that the previews for other films that appear before this one are going to have EXTREMELY violent and disturbing imagery, because the film is rated at PG-13. My advice is to take your child to see it in the theater, but don't enter the theater until the previews have ended.
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Teen, 14 years old Written byDisneymovielover77 October 2, 2015
age 11+

Great movie!!!

This movie was really good!!! It's about an astronaut ( Mark Wattney) and he got he left behind on Mars. He survived the mission and he basically survived on the planet on Mars including planting potatoes,etc. Throughout the movie you see how he survives and how NASA is trying to bring him back home. There's some language including the S word, A word ( with hole at the end of it), and the f word but you don't see it except for an f on a computer screen basically. There were some thrills in this film especially in the beginning of the movie although it's not that scary. He also takes a pice of an antenna out of him and you see blood. This is a very entertaining movie and it reminded me a little bit of Interstellar which came out last year (November 2014). The Martian is a really good movie to watch. The cinematography was really good especially the scenes in Space. There were some humorous scenes that could get a couple of laughs out of the audience or giggles. Matt Damon, Jessica Chastian, Kate Mara, and the rest of the cast did an outstanding job with there roles. This movie might bore younger kids but it should keep the rest of those ( about preteens) entertained throughout the course of the movie. The movie also provides great discussion topics such as how would you survive if you were left alone on a planet by yourself, what would you have done? The previews especially 2 of them were scary and made me feel a little uncomfortable especially the one that involves ghosts. The previews were pretty intense except for about maybe 2 or 3 that weren't that bad. In my opinion this movie is a must see for preteens and there parents and it's a must see for those who are fans of movies like Interstellar. This movie reminded me of Interstellar only this one is not as long ( 2 hours). It's great movie and I hope this review helped!!! :)
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