Determination In The Film 'The Martian'

How does The Martian portray determination?

Determination is a critical theme in the film “The Martian”, directed by Ridley Scott. The movie is based on the similarly titled book by Andy Weir. The film shows the struggle for survival of an astronaut, Mark Watney, who was left on Mars by his mission crew. He is the protagonist and the main character of the story his character is played by Matt Damon. With a number of events turning against Watney, his determination is possibly his most important trait, and it prevents him from ever giving up, and keep going until things eventually turn out right. Determination is displayed using a variety of filming techniques.

Of course there could be no impactful and strong portrayal of determination if there is not a well-executed introduction of the setting the character showing determination is in. The filmmakers therefore first establish the setting through a number of different techniques. Watney is left on Mars by his crew thinking he died in a storm. Lighting and close ups are the two key tools that are utilised to establish the situation. While Watney is being left on Mars the lighting is really low, which gives the scene a dramatic effect, while making the viewer feel sad. Close ups of the crew’s faces are also shown when the spacecraft takes off. The actors’ faces describe a number of emotions and help the audience that Watney was declared dead. A close up of Damon’s

Since there is no other person he can communicate with for a significant time in the film, his quotes are recorded in video journals he creates to document his own life. As the film is based on a book, which is actually Watney’s written journal, the quotes are directly taken from the book. The quotes are really powerful and I think it was a good idea by the filmmakers to take them as they are, because they give a really good insight into the thoughts of