Ridley Scott’s $630 million space movie,The Martian,used a clever trick that also helped Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimer8 years later.The Martianwas released in 2015 and follows the story of lonely astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon)as he struggles to survive on Mars after being left behind by his crew. The 2015 space movie was a box office success and was even praised by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, most notably due toThe Martian’sscreenwriter’s dedication to scientific accuracy. Interestingly, NASA even provided a helping hand in depicting science and technology throughout the movie to promote space exploration.
The Martianhas a rare 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes for both the Tomatometer and Popcornmeter, with viewers praisingMatt Damon’s weight-loss transformationas a dedication to his role and the movie’s deeper themes of isolation. However, the moviedoes suffer from a long runtime.Mark Watney spends a long time on Mars inThe Martian,and it is reflected in the film’s 2 hours and 22 minutes. Much of the movie focuses on space exploration, creating some brilliant cinematic scenes, butThe Martianis primarily character driven, meaning that casting for a lengthy space moviehad to be carefully considered.
The Martian Casting Multiple A-List Stars Made The Space Movie More Digestible
A Well-Known Cast Can Connect With Audiences
The Martiancasting multiple A-list stars helped to make the movie more digestible, as it was easier for a casual viewer to keep track of characters and connect more.The Martianwas Matt Damon’s follow-up role toInterstellarandElysium, meaningDamon had already been established in the sci-fi genre beforehand and was an easy face to rememberthroughout the two-hour science-heavy movie. WhileThe Martianwould likely have succeeded with a lesser-known actor due to being a Ridley Scott movie and book adaptation, Matt Damon’s previous sci-fi roles helped to establish more connections between the audience and the actor.
Oppenheimer’s Star-Studded Cast Did A Similar Thing For Nolan’s 3-Hour WW2 Movie
Oppenheimer’s Cast Was Well-Received Despite Overuse Concerns
Oppenheimeremployed a similar casting technique for Christopher Nolan’s three-hour movie, asOppenheimer’scast was brimming with well-known actors. When movies introduce a lot of different characters, each with their own important profession and name, things can get confusing for audiences. Therefore,star-studded casts allow more accessibility to the average viewer, permitting them to watch the movie without struggling to remember each character’s name, instead remembering the role of the actor who plays them.Oppenheimerhas one of the most star-studded casts seen in recent years, which helps with its lengthy runtime and focus on drama as opposed to action.
Matt Damon played General Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, inOppenheimer.
On the other hand,using well-known actors all the time can be a grievance for some audiences, especially when it comes to typecasting. The Rock has featured in predominantly action roles due to his WWE past, and his roles often rely on his physique being a factor. While this is not a bad thing, typecasting can be overused. Luckily,Oppenheimer’sensemble cast of Hollywood actorswas well-received, with Robert Downey Jr. taking home his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Therefore, overcoming possible audience disconnect by using a well-known cast benefitted bothOppenheimerandThe Martianin the long run.
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.
