The makers of The Martian are going to pretty obsessive lengths in their publicity campaign for The Martian, Ridley Scott’s latest space blockbuster based on the acclaimed 2011 novel by Andy Weir. And if the acclaimed director’s name (haven’t we all unanimously agreed to give him a clean chit for Prometheus?) isn’t enough to put audience into theatre seats, the cast will: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Sebastian Stan, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Mackenzie Davis, Aksel Hennie, and Donald Glover.
And if even that didn’t do the trick, maybe Neil deGrasse Tyson will. In the latest viral video for the upcoming 20th Century Fox movie, the acclaimed astrophysicist examines the upcoming Ares 3 mission and their journey to Mars disguised as a special episode of his StarTalk programme.
The video sets up when this story is set, with Tyson revealing that the first mission to Mars took place “way back in 2029,” before highlighting new details about the Ares 3 mission. Tyson then states that this mission takes place on the Hermes space station, the most complex and expensive machine ever built, which remains “harbored” in low Earth orbit between its various missions. He also explains that it will take 124 days to make the 140 million mile journey to Mars, where the Ares crew will spend a month in a special compound that will protect them from all of the life-threatening Martian elements. He also posits that, depending on what the astronauts discover, Earth may not be humanity’s “final resting place.” It is all very neatly done, as were The Martian’s previous trailers.[blockquote type=”left”]“Earth, a magnificent world to which we owe our creation no longer seems destined to be our final resting place”[/blockquote]
If it wasn’t for the fact that the crew of the Ares 3 is composed of internationally recognizable movie stars, someone might actually believe that this is a real video talking about an actual mission to Mars. Between this and the previous interviews with the crew after isolation training and the viral video from the Hermes with the crew on board, The Martian has one of the best viral marketing campaigns in recent memory, maybe the best since The Dark Knight.
As for the movie itself, the plot concerns astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) who is presumed dead and left behind by his crew while on a manned mission to Mars. But Watney has miraculously survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.
The Martian is to have its worldwide premiere at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, before a theatrical release on October 2.
