The structure of Andy Weir’s novel, on which Ridley Scott’s film The Martian is based, contains two different basic types of narrative: First-person segments from the perspective of Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he records his logs on Mars, and an omniscient third-person narrator back on Earth. Based on the teasers, trailers and commercials released thus far, Scott and screenwriter Drew Goddard have retained this structure, and that’s a really good thing. Especially when you consider the latest clip from 20th Century Fox, appropriately titled “Disco Music.”
“He’s 50 million miles away from home. He thinks he’s totally alone. He thinks we gave up on him,” says Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor). “What the hell is he thinking right now?”
These stark words come at the end of a brief, but tense scene at mission control, where a small handful of administrators and workers have just discovered that Watney may still be alive. Along with Annie Montrose’s (Kristen Wiig) desire to tell the Ares 3 crew and Teddy Sanders’ (Jeff Daniels) subsequent rebuke, the whole bit really lays out the stakes for Watney. So, what is he thinking?
“I’m definitely going to die up here if I have to listen to any more godawful disco music,” says Watney after the cut. “My god, Commander Lewis, couldn’t you have packed anything from this century?”
Looks like Scott and Goddard made sure to preserve Watney’s phenomenal sense of humor as present in Weir’s book. Then again, as Uproxx’s Mike Ryan notes in his review and subsequent interviews with Goddard and actor Sebastian Stan, there was never any doubt about this.
The Martian hits theaters tomorrow, Oct. 2.
