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The movie, which is winning strong early reviews, had its
world premiere on Friday at the Toronto international Film
Festival.
Based on a novel by Andy Weir, it tells the story of Mark Watney,
a botanist who is left behind and presumed dead after an
expedition to the red planet is forced to evacuate early because
of a storm.
Like a space age Robinson Crusoe, he is forced to improvise to
survive, while using a wry sense of humor to offset the
bleakness of his prospects.
"The story is really exciting, the nuts and bolts survival story
is just great. But it's really funny also. So it's got a
lightness to it," Damon, who recently appeared in "Interstellar"
said in an interview.
"I read it really fast. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know
what was going to happen. But at the same time I was laughing
through the entire thing."
Scott, who also directed the science fiction classic "Blade
Runner", said he was drawn to the project after an initial read
of the screenplay by Drew Goddard.
"When you've got a good writer like Drew you know within a page
and a half whose hands you're in."
But Scott said "The Martian" is a departure from his other space
films because it is based on scientific fact. To try to ensure
accuracy, the production consulted with NASA and had actual
astronauts meet with the cast.
Scott said Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", a film
that heavily influenced his early work, also helped inspire some
of the look of the "The Martian".
Early reviews have been kind, with Variety calling it "an
enthralling and rigorously realistic" story that could
"conceivably rekindle interest in the space program and inspire
a new generation of future astronauts."
Damon said that if there is a message to the movie, it is about
the sanctity of each life and how people can work together to
preserve it.
"The world doesn't give up on him and it becomes a priority for
everybody to go help. And by extension what does that mean about
all of our lives?" he said.
(Editing by Grant McCool)
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