The content is quite simple: the protagonist, who has run into trouble in the film’s early stages, is left alone on Mars and tries to survive by drawing on his wits.

At the time of this film’s release, I remember there was a lot of publicity about an astronaut named Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, who is stranded on Mars alone. As advertised, I expected the film to be a one-person show by Matt Damon. I was astonished when I saw the film’s length was approximately 2.5 hours. Isn’t two and a half hours for a one-person show quite insane? I thought, “Isn’t two and a half hours for a one-person show pretty crazy? After all, the length of the show left me feeling fatigued, and some parts of the content seemed redundant, so it was a bit too long.

When I saw the team working together on the mission at the film’s beginning, I was relieved to know I was not alone. I thought it would be a male-dominated film, but the team was led by Melissa Lewis, played by Jessica Chastain, a female geologist. I did not expect a female leader to be portrayed in the film, so at this point, it was much different from the impression I had expected.

Soon after, Watney suffered an accident during the mission and was left alone on Mars, but he was not completely alone. Immediately after the accident, he was alone because he was thought to be dead, but as soon as NASA sensed that he was alive, the film depicts the efforts of many people to bring him back. So, the movie progresses as if two stories are going on simultaneously: Watney’s trial and error to survive and the struggle of many people for his safe return. Since I thought the film was about Watney’s survival alone, I was happy to see the film’s narrative format in which these two plots progress simultaneously, as it makes it harder for the viewer to get bored. I was also convinced that the two ongoing stories are why the movie is as long as two and a half hours.

Realistic images and story

The most appealing aspect of “Odyssey” is its space imagery. It was made possible only in this day and age of advanced visual technology. Watney’s survival life is depicted on Mars and in a space habitat, so inevitably, we have to capture life in space on film. I understand that the magic of the movie was used, and I have never really been to space, so this is simply an image from past space station footage, etc., but life in space was portrayed in a very faithful and realistic manner. It is not limited to Watney, but the way of life of the crew led by Lewis also made it easy for me to imagine how people spend their time in space.

On the other hand, since this film is set soon, in the year 2035, there are several scenes where the means of communication and other aspects seem more advanced than today’s technology. Since space-related technological development is ever-evolving, watching the film while imagining what would be possible in 2035 was enjoyable.

The director’s commitment to scientific accuracy

I think this film is like a combination of “Robinson Crusoe” and “Apollo 13. Robinson Crusoe” is a novel about a man’s trial-and-error attempts to survive on an island. Because it was written with the idea that it would become an actual logbook, it has a strangely realistic feel. In this work, several very realistic descriptions of Watney’s attempts to survive, such as how he uses his knowledge as a botanist to secure food and how he manages to get water, air, and electricity, reminded me of “Robinson Crusoe.” The same can be said for “Apollo 13. I was impressed by the way they tried to survive with only the resources they had. I felt similar to how Watney tried desperately to survive in “The Odyssey” with his various innovations.

Not only that but the words and actions of the people at NASA trying to save him were also very realistic. Scenes of confusion and impatience on the ground, making wrong decisions, and trial and error in deciding which idea to adopt seemed realistic. In particular, I felt that anyone who has worked in the engineering field would have been able to relate to the scene where the inspector was in such a hurry to get the work done that he forced a reduction in the number of inspection person-hours, which resulted in a colossal failure.

The Power of Music Wit

hout Becoming Too Serious

Depending on how it was made, I thought this film could have become a dire film, but I felt that it was not too heavy, but just light due to Watney’s natural cheerfulness and the 70’s music that colored the film. It is because Lewis is a lover of 70’s music, and the light disco music, rather than serious music, lightened the mood of the audience, and like Watney, I felt that I could not give up hope. The audience could not help but smile when the famous song by ABBA was played, even though the situation was quite critical.

The Odyssey” is a long film (more than 2 hours and 30 minutes), but it is a very detailed film that pursues reality while at the same time avoiding being too heavy-handed. Overall, it would be an excellent film to see at least once.