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Matt Damon’s The Martian is based on the 2011 Andy Weir novel of the same name and is an impeccable work of science fiction. Not only did it entertain us and move us with its gripping tale of resilience and ingenuity but the film also raised eyebrows when it was surprisingly classified as a comedy at the Golden Globe.
Matt Damon in Ridley Scott’s The Martian (2015) | Credit: 20th Century FoxEven though those of us who have not read the book and seen the movie would not classify the film as a ‘comedy,’ Damon once observed that it does have a ‘gallows humor,’ that makes it hard not to classify it as a sort of sci-fi/survival comedy film.
Matt Damon on The Martian being a comedy film
Matt Damon as Mark Watney in The Martian | Credits: 20th Century FoxMany of us can’t think of classifying The Martian as a comedy film even though the movie (the book even more so) contains an ample amount of humor. But that is how the Golden Globes chose to classify the film as when it won the Best Picture Comedy back in 2016. In response to its categorization, the director Ridley Scott stated to Entertainment Weekly that you can’t miss the humor and focus only on the heroic stuff.
And for Matt Damon, his sci-fi Academy Award-nominated film’s unexpected comedic edge lies in the personality of his character and the protagonist, Mark Watney. In an interview with IGN, Damon pointed out how in the book Watney is naturally funny, an ironic characteristic found in almost every person involved in high-risk professions.
A lot of that stuff – those monologues are taken right from the book. In that part I do believe these guys have that sort of gallows humour and a good sense of irony. Anybody I’ve met who has some kind of occupation that’s cheating death all the time, they tend to have that kind of gallows humour and sarcasm. So if we get it right, the movie should be funny, without losing a sense of what the stakes are.
Not only was the humor important, for it reflected how individuals often use it as a coping mechanism, but it made Watney more relatable and humane. But that does not mean that humor overshadowed the stakes of Watney’s survival; rather, it enhanced the narrative, keeping it grounded and real despite its most unlikely of circumstances.
The reason why it makes sense The Martian is a sci-fi survival comedy and why humor is important
The Martian (2015) | Credits: 20th Century FoxAs Ridley Scott and Matt Damon both stated, one cannot overlook the comedy element of The Martian, for its source of ‘humor’ comes from the protagonist itself. Mark Watney, even in the face of extreme circumstances and mortal danger, does not let go of his sarcastic wit but rather uses it to remain mentally strong while stranded on the red planet.
Watney and his ‘humor’ play a vital role in enhancing the narrative of the film and the book, transforming it from just a bleak survival story into one of resilience and utmost bravery. As Damon stated to IGN, the film is a sort of celebration of science and human ingenuity, where Watney’s sarcastic self helps maintain a balance between his survival and the story’s emotional accessibility.
Serving as a narrative tool, the comedic elements of The Martian humanize the larger themes of the story, while turning Matt Damon’s protagonist into a likable and relatable character instead of only being a ‘heroic’ one. Thus, grounding the final product while adding a sense of vulnerability and entertainment, humor is a vital part of the film and the book. It makes it avoid the clichés of a typical survival drama while transforming it into a tale that is engaging, moving, inspiring, and entertaining.
The Martian is available to be streamed on Max.
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