"The Martian" Official Movie Review

The Martian starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, and Kristen Wiig is reviewed by Ben Mankiewicz (Turner Classic Movies), Matt Atchity (Rotten Tomatoes), Alonso Duralde (TheWrap and Linoleum Knife podcast) and Christy Lemire (www.ChristyLemire.com).
See what other critics are saying: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_m...
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has 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. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover. (C) Fox
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[@kokofan50]

Ben, Neil Armstrong was 38 when he commanded the Apollo 11 mission!

[@paratus04]

And Eilleen Collins was 43 when she commanded the shuttle in 99. Most of the astronauts I know of are in their 30's to mid 50's. I'll also add that for a potential mission to Mars you won't be sending your grizzled veterans due to accumulated radiation exposure.

[@MayaGoodeAuthor]

+kokofan50 Exactly, wth. the lack of education about the space program makes me sad. The old astronauts he is thinking of became old after starting young and NASA hiring fewer new ppl because of budget cuts. Astronauts have always been traditionally young, it's physically grueling and recruits came from military. .

[@kokofan50]

paratus04 Good point on the radiation. Although, I personally think NASA would pick all new crews for Mars missions.

[@RykComerford]

+kokofan50 He said 28 year olds aren't astronauts, not 38 year olds. As in Kate Mara (who might be 30) and a very young looking male astronaut around her age in the movie.

[@JimJ123]

+kokofan50 And the youngest astronaut in space was 25. The youngest American astronaut was 32. None of the cast is younger than 32. But, according to Ben, Matt Damon would be the youngest astronaut ever...

[@CephalopodsRock]

The Chinese space program helping NASA was a plot from the book, not a ploy for international markets.

[@paratus04]

It also makes sense from a story perspective. NASA works closely the Russians, Europeans, Japanese and commercial and would have known if another booster was available to save the day. Weir wanted it to come out of left field and the only space agency we don't work with China. Plus it plays into the stories theme of coming together. Now I'm sure when Drew Goddard was pitching the story to Fox they asked if he could fit China in their somewhere and Drew was like they already are, which helped sell the the whole thing.

[@killthomas8373]

+CephalopodsRock I'm sure that China being a big factor in the film helped sell it to the studio though

[@arielj3853]

LOL! NASA would NEVER let a 60 year old into space.... you have to be in insanely good physical health to travel to space. As many others have been commenting, Neil Armstrong (commander of Apollo 11) was the EXACT same age as Jessica Chastain is now. Ben, man, you were off the mark on that one :)

[@BXBZ88]

+Josie Joslin FYI......John Glenn went back to space at 77 years of age.

[@Liesmith424]

+BXBZ88 Yeah, but that was John Glenn...I think he technically owns 20% of space.

[@TrangleC]

+Josie Joslin I don't know if that is still current or whether they have dropped that idea, but for a long time scientists were talking about that it would make sense to send old people to Mars first, because apparently old people are better suited for a long distance trip in space. Their metabolisms are slower and thus their muscles don't shrink as fast under zero-G conditions, they are psychologically better suited to deal with the boredom, they have weaker sexual urges, they get by with less food and sleep and it is slightly less tragic if they don't make it back alive. It has been 10 years or so since I last heard anyone talk about that though, so I don't know whether they are still considering it or whether they came up with reasons for why it wouldn't be a good idea after all. The movie "Space Cowboys", about Clint Eastwood and other old guys on a space mission was inspired by all that talk about geriatric astronauts back in the day.

[@NaihanchinKempo]

+Josie Joslin the oldest was 82

[@Helghastl33t]

+TrangleC on long journeys it's a trade off between experience that comes with advanced years and the possibility of health complications on the way. you want the astronauts to be as old as you are comfortable with.

[@jakenutting3576]

Kate Mara is actually in her 30s. She just looks much younger. Also, that character's youth is pointed out in the book.

[@BST89]

youngest astronaut was 25, oldest was 77.

[@trav_9830]

Ben surprised me here. He's usually the last guy to get so hung up on the most unimportant ambient details, but he channeled his inner Bibiani for this one. And his comment at the end, "I felt like someone needed to break up the martian party that you guys were having".........NO YOU DON'T. Be honest in your review. Don't feel like you need to force yourself to be the voice of descension, just....because

[@joe_v_runs]

I'm not too surprised that Ben gave the lowest score out of the group here, but I was very impressed to see Chrisy give the highest score (she knows how to be overtly critical pretty well). I hope this movie gets a lock for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars this year.

[@roloug95]

+Trav _ Long live Karl Pilkington

[@trav_9830]

Joe V Funny thing is, his score wasn't bad. 8.6 is really good. Yet his comments were just so incongruous to that score. As it sounded like he was talking about something he was more likely to give a 5.6 to. Which, after hearing him essentially confirm that he felt like he needed to be the contrarian in the group, proved he wasn't even all that bothered by all the weird nitpicks he was throwing out there, but instead was throwing them out there just because he felt like he had to come up with SOMETHING negative

[@blueeyesaf]

+Trav _ Well that's part of a critics job, to be critical. I think it's especially important when everyone's showering praise on something to be the devil advocate to give a comprehensive view of the movie. Because the reality is no matter how good something is there are people that won't like it, I just got Metal Gear Solid 5 and barely got into it before I decided to put it down for good. I dislike so many things about the game but the specifics aren't important here, what's important is that everyone was giving the game so much praise, you would be hard pressed to find someone say something bad about it and that will give people an unrealistic idea of the game. I felt really let down by the critics that failed to mentions o many failings of the game that were so obvious, mostly little things, a couple of big things, but it was enough to make me hate the game and hate the fact I pays seventy dollars on something I didn't like because the critics weren't critical.

[@menevetsny]

Did not think he was a voice of dissension, he was just trying to make a point, he liked it. I would say to him - what do you expect from Hollywood though, it always mismatches age and character.

[@trav_9830]

You can't even get a 60 year old person two sit through a two hour movie about going to Mars, without at least two bathroom breaks. Hell you can't even get them in the theater in the first place, if the drive is too long. And Ben thinks they're the only people qualified to take an 8 month long round trip to the Red Planet?

[@notabot835]

interstellar was a humorless, maudlin fart-fest - im glad to hear this one's good

[@Liesmith424]

+doody magoob "Humorless, maudlin fart-fest"...I really want that to be a back-of-the-box blurb for Interstellar.

[@kazoh0lic]

+doody magoob It shits on this.

[@thedashboard9562]

+Liesmith Right? It's perfect lol

[@notabot835]

you fake The Dashboard

[@thedashboard9562]

doody magoob Huh?

[@420simpson]

That awkward moment when it is argued that Jessica Chastian is too young to command a NASA mission at the age of 38 which is the exact age of some random guy you may have heard of named Neil Armstrong who commanded Apollo 11 at 38 years old.

[@SoulStylistJukeBox]

Ben's being weird here. He needs to Google the ages of real life astronauts.

[@Plengwing]

The Chinese are in it to appeal to the international market? Yeah, obviously none of you guys has read the book.

[@DrJhengsman]

+Oliver Janke I haven't. I imagine if it was 20 years ago the Chinese in the movie would have been Russians

[@Plengwing]

+DrJhengsman I was referring to the hosts in the video. But yeah, twenty years ago it probably would have been the Russians. Given that the movie (and book) take place approximately twenty years from now, it could have just as well been the Indians.

[@SidV101]

Sean Bean is in it? Spoiler alert, sheesh. Now we know who's gonna die!

[@thelousyllama]

He doesnt die. He gets fired

[@KamikazekaitoKoki]

+thelousyllama omigod stop

[@BrendanBeckett]

+thelousyllama out of a cannon into the sun?

[@DuncanUdaho67]

Jesus Christ this joke needs to die

[@ZepawFox]

Its become such a cliche now I expect him not to die to subvert expectations.

[@VitalVampyr]

Ben: NASA astronaut candidates have an average age of 34 and the training program is only two years. It's realistic for someone as young as 28 to be an astronaut. A Mars mission would likely be assigned somewhat more experienced astronauts but still it's not like the ISS only houses quadragenarians. astronauts.nasa.gov/content/faq.htm

[@DrJhengsman]

+VitalVampyr Given the average age the commander would be around a 16 year military veteran gone to NASA and would seem to be named a Mission Commander right off the bat which seems to be Mankiewicz's major objection. I didn't notice the age thing while watching but it was Pilot Martinez going up again so soon during the epilogue.

[@ERay152]

+DrJhengsman that shouldn't be a negative point when you're criticizing a film though.

[@applesewer2684]

I liked it cause it didn't have any bad guys in it, and yet was still great! It was a film about cooperation rather than competition and I think it set a good example that I hope we can follow in lots of other areas of life too.

[@vernonrabbetts]

Ben Mankiewicz, living proof that film reviewers too can be poster children for the Dunning-Kruger effect. He spoke so forcefully about who could and could not be an astronaut, shut down any debate and talked out if his ass totally. Way to go you muppet.

[@postercereal3654]

Sally Ride was 32 when she went to space.

[@julieharden2433]

Sally Ride was 32 years old. Luca Parmitano was in his early 30s during his first space flight. Sunita Williams was in her mid 40s when she was Commander ISS expedition 33.

[@malky2583]

Apparently ben doesn't know that jessica chastain is 38 years old, the same age neil armstong was during Apollo 11. hell even kate mara is 32. Chiwetel is 38. sebastian stan is 33. all reasonable ages considering: There are no age restrictions for the NASA Astronaut Corps. Astronaut candidates have ranged between the ages of 26 and 46, with the average age being 34. (NASA)

[@knowyourhistory]

One of the Space Shuttle Columbia crew was 41 years old.

[@rickythepilot]

Ben has always hated Science Fiction. He can't give a fair review to a sci-fi film because of his prejudice. It should disqualify him from being a movie critic.

[@616silk]

why they talking about intersteller was a shit movie, It was a really nice movie.

[@dangflo]

14:32 Ben just put a stamp on his argument about a female commander in space.

[@aldenallen86]

Did you guys read the book?

[@marikotrue3488]

I love this movie. Funny, when I began watching this video I looked at the body language of the 4 hosts. I could tell Ben Mankiewicz was NOT happy. I read the book then saw the movie ( in 3D). I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoyed the movie. Reading is worth the effort as you do get to know more about these people. The last 2 major scenes of this movie, do differ from the novel. However the film does keep to the general tone of the book and major plot points. I know this is vague, but am trying to avoid spoilers. Am going to see this movie again.

[@sharpfang]

+Mariko True let me qualify your comment. If you liked the science in the movie, you'll love the book. If things like the hexadecimals put you off, you'll hate the book. It's described as Engineer's pornography, lots and lots of in-depth science, far more than the movie. In the movie he just puts some junk on the rover and moves away. In the book there's a detailed description of every piece of life-saving hardware he gets there, how he gets them to interact, why they are so important, how he overcomes their power consumption requirements and so on.

[@marikotrue3488]

sharpfang True Beans. I always want more than films can show in 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Probably explains my popcorn issues.

[@NicksMagicstorytime]

Google, how old is the average astronaut? There are no age restrictions for the program. Astronaut candidates selected in the past have ranged between the ages of 26 and 46, with the average age being 34. Actors for the Ares III Crew Matt Damon 44 Jessica Chastain: 38 Kate Mara: 32 Michael Peña: 39 Aksel Hennie: 39 Sebastian Stan: 33 Average: 37.5 years old. Ben fail! Of course movie stars are "younger looking" than the average astronaut, but these particular "asto-actors" have an average age above the average astronaut age.

[@cjwright79]

Ben is so nonchalant looking at his phone while we're doing the intro. We get it Ben, you're too cool for school!

[@ClimbSkiRun]

@ 6:20, Ben - Matt Damon is 45 years old, not 28. The age of NASA astronaut corps candidates (it takes two years of training and testing to qualify), has ranged from 26 to 46, and the average is 34, at time of selection. Source: Wikipedia.

[@MayaGoodeAuthor]

This review was a huge surprise that made me cheer. I loved Christy's glee right out of the gate.

[@TheBigAppleNYC]

I just finish watching The Martian and I really enjoyed this movie. Ridley Scott once shine as his directing prowess comes to light. Excellent performance by Matt Damon.

[@smussad]

I personally think this movie doesn't even come close to Interstellar, at least in terms of plot. I thought The Martian was, honestly, just above average. Maybe a 7.5 or 8. Nothing in the movie was very surprising. I was rarely tense. Interstellar had an amazing plot, unexpected events and great music to boot. I don't understand the Interstellar hate.

[@Mtanic]

SPOILER: Sean Bean doesn't die!!! And: The Chinese helped in Gravity, too! Great review, I agree on almost everything, for a change.

[@matinr3528]

I was definitely expecting John's review on this one!

[@MegaLuke8]

+Matin R Haha same

[@worldprez6655]

+Matin R I don't think John ever does anything on WTF except some TV reviews

[@reville00]

+Matin R John actually reviewed it on thinktank

[@keefriff99]

It is NOT present day. I read somewhere that it takes place in 2035.

[@FreakieFan]

Jim Lovell was quite young aswell when commanding Apollo 13

[@lukemoonsucks]

Why has no one mentioned the fact that they sent a return ship 1 year in advance of the next mission literally the mission after which their return ship almost blew over by the martian storms that don't exist in reality?

[@underwaterlady]

one of the few times I enjoyed ben's criticism

[@LouCadle]

Did none of you read the book?? :(

[@Stabby666]

I've read the book, and it really is funny as hell. If it weren't for the humour it would just be another suspense/action film. The practical "never give up" spirit of the guy is what makes it. The fact he rarely takes anything seriously is brilliant in my view. I will be watching the film (interestingly the dialogue they played at the start is actually from the end of the book. Weird.

[@hishamkaissi8771]

I want to believe that it is a prequel to INTERSTELLAR.

[@Cyberdactyl]

It's so cute to watch history and drama majors discuss the details of technical space travel.

[@dalanology]

I googled the average age of astronaut candidates, which returned an approximate 34 (from a range of 26 - 46). Matt Damon is 44.

[@lucashood4669]

Ares 3 Mission starts on July 7th 2035 Ares 3 Mission arrives on Mars on November 7th 2035 Sol 6 happens on November 12th 2035

[@Tullochr105]

The youngest person to fly in space is Gherman Titov, who was 25 years old when he flew Vostok 2

[@tomaalimosh]

Sean Bean doesn't die?

[@gdaymates431]

I agree about the casting. It took me out as well, especially the really young girl with the glasses in the command centre. SO YOUNG.

[@RykComerford]

+Jazzmine E Actually her character resembles a little bit Margaret Hamilton, the young female computer programmer who headed the MIT team that wrote the software that got Apollo to the moon. The big difference is that the movie character is just a technician in the control room, not the head software designer for the space ship like Margaret Hamilton was.www.vox.com/2015/5/30/8689481/margaret-hamilton-apollo-software

[@2nd3rd1st]

Can I just say that the part with the Chinese is in the book, and was not written into the movie to appeal to the chinese market. Also, the humour of Watney is an explicitly important part of the book, he was specifically chosen for the mission for his uplifting spirit, to counter any fights among the crew or to lighten up the space blues you get on such a long journey. So to say there was too much humour is like saying Doctor Who should have less humour in it.

[@worldprez6655]

I'm very excited for the movie but I'm really opposed to the idea of sending a mission to mars to rescue a stranded astronaut, this is a situation where the astronaut should be making a heroic sacrifice and not asking way to much of their country and wanting them to launch a crazy super expensive and difficult mission to try and rescue one dude

[@coco8100]

The guy saying they're too young to be astronauts needs to look up his facts. He said Matt Damon would be the youngest astronaut despite him being 45 and the youngest person to go to space being Sally Ride who went when she was 32. So he's 13 years off being the youngest. In fact I don't think a single member of the crew in space was younger than that. The youngest being, I think, Sebastian Stan who is 33. So that statement is just plain wrong.

[@johnmath95]

Ben, you're not funny either.

[@MarktheNerd85]

+John Mathews im new to this channel, seems his ben guy is those stuck up assholes who want everything to be realistic. i can tell the minute i saw him hes a idiot. fuck that guy, this movie was awesome and funny i give it a 9/10

[@TheCamp0r]

+MarktheNerd 85 and come to think of it it needs 4 years to go to mars so a 50+ year old guy would not be the best idea. i think he didnt really thought about it. he just wanted to say something bad about the movie.

[@LookWhatEyeFound]

WTF is the only movie review show I watch, because I love watching/listening to smart people talk about movies. Thank you guys and gal for entertaining and enlightening week after week. Doesn't matter if I agree or disagree with you, I just enjoy hearing your take on the latest flicks (and TV shows).

[@joaopenedo7216]

The youngest astronaut in the movie is played by Kata Mara at 32, but the youngest astronaut ever was Gherman Titov with just 25. Mr. Mankiewicz's argument is invalid. Plus there is more than a handful of other astronauts under the age of 30 to have gone to space.

[@DeepEye1994]

"I like The Martian more than Interstellar." *How a normal, respectful person reacts to that statement:* Okay, they have a preference. *How a Nolan Fanatic reacts:* They are attacking me because I don't agree with that. I must respond and argue about them having an opinion. Nobody can have an opinion different than mine, if I could brainwash everyone into loving Interstellar instead of having their own opinion to it like with every other movie, I fucking would.

[@Stuie299]

+DeepEye1994 But then you have people like doody magoob saying "nterstellar was a humorless, maudlin fart-fest". So it cuts both ways.

[@DeepEye1994]

Stuie Malan Not really. If that guy said that, then he is ACTUALLY insulting the film to provoke its fans. If he disliked the film, he could've expressed his opinion in a different way, instead that really feels a flame-war starting statement. ...But simply saying that you prefer The Martian over Interstellar, or rathing it higher than Interstellar *and nothing else* shouldn't offend anyone with common sense. So it doesn't cut both ways. Some Nolan fan seriously gets mad as soon as someone prefers another movie over Interstellar, and they need to start arguments over someone's fucking preference.

[@Stuie299]

DeepEye1994 Except it does. For every Nolan fan emotionally over defending Interstellar there is a hater making unsubstantiated claims against it.

[@DeepEye1994]

Stuie Malan Look, I don't care about the Interstellar haters out there somewhere on the internet, I'm talking about the Nolan fanatics IN THIS COMMENT SECTION that are seriously making arguments just because the critics in the video said that they like The Martian better, scroll down and you'll see a bunch. Those need to shut the fuck up and let people have preferences and quit hearing "I like this better than Interstellar" as "I HATE INTERSTELLAR AND SO SHOULD YOU!!!"

[@Stuie299]

I think most people are responding to Matt when he said "The Martian is 1000 times better than Interstellar". That's significantly different than than just saying you like one movie better than another one. BTW, I was talking about haters in this videos comment section.

[@paulgracey4697]

Mankiewicz has it wrong. NASA astronauts today are old, mainly because of the seniority rules and lack of opportunities to fly. A program as huge as this Mars Mission would not have that problem, just as the Shuttle astronauts were much younger, enough so that many did multiple later missions. Today once an astronaut gets his/her flight, she/he often takes the opportunity to get on to other life goals.

[@thatfilmgeekguy]

I guess Ben woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

[@musicmann1967]

I'll agree with Ben about one of his points. Everyone seems to think that this movie was so funny and full of humor. Damon had an inner (and outer) dialogue that had a sense of humor, but wasn't NEARLY as funny as everyone else is saying. Most of the jokes he makes (mostly to himself) are indeed a little too corny and are kinda hack just like Ben says. However, that's a small complaint from me. The movie is really good. I just felt somebody should stick up for Mr. Grumpy (Ben) on at least one point.. :)

[@dogdavis9611]

Ben doesn't know what he's talking about. The youngest astronaut in space was 25. Sally Ride was 32. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were both 39 when they landed on the moon. The average age for a person accepted into astronaut training is 34, but anyone over 25 can apply.

[@returner323617]

I love Ben, but he was just plain wrong here. The average age of the 6 astronauts on the Aries III mission was 38: youngest 32 and oldest 45. The average age of the 21 astronauts that took part in the 6 manned Apollo missions was 39, ranging from 32 to 48. The age range for the STS (Space Shuttle) programme was even greater (32 - 61).

[@davidlu4829]

Btw the Chinese space program helping out was part of the book so they r not really trying to sell to the Asian market tho that might be a factor, but more like staying to the book.

[@Bearrito42]

Ok so a few things that have been mentioned in other posts. This is heavily based on the book so all of these plot points like the China one is straight from the story. As for the age of the crew, historically all the astronauts are mostly in their thirties. Also This is the 3rd man mission, the seasoned astronauts went on the first mission because that was the most important one. As far as the humor goes THAT IS MARK WHATNEY PERSONALITY!

[@pdshiff]

Ben, you are so so wrong about the ages of astronauts. Damon is older than Neil Armstrong was when he landed on the moon. What a strange thing to get hung up on.

[@kingcrabchris]

Have we never heard of Sally Ride? She was 32... I mean I see his point since old age is often associated with wisdom and experience. Thing is that it doesn't always hold true.

[@kubeanie18]

why do we get 2 movie shots at the beginning start of video, than 2 min in....... Just review the damn thing

[@panworks]

I can't believe they did not mention and compare The Martian to Apollo 13 or even Gravity

[@NicksMagicstorytime]

They are wrong. This movie is set in a year in the near future. Andy Weir did the math for the orbital dynamics for the mission and the rescue. It all works. He has stated several times that he might run a contest to identify the launch date for the Ares III mission. It would have to be so that the crew would be spending Thanksgiving on the martian surface. Figure it out, space geeks.

[@msc1361]

Astronaut candidates have been as young as 26, and first mission astronauts have been as young as 29.

[@GeekFurious]

Ben should stop pretending he understands how the Mars program would be run. Anyway, loved the movie. 9.5 out of 10.

[@1Vorname1Nachname1]

Oh, christy. There is nothing I love more than you doing math. It's like seeing myself doing math because I suck at it just as much:D

[@mistyloman3114]

This is one of the reviews that remind me why I love watching this channel. A variety of opinions, and not just people nodding with each other in agreement. And btw, BEN is absolutely on point, I almost shouted "hallelujah" because he is right. Especially on casting choices, but also on the point that it wasn't THAT funny. Good job Ben and thank you.

[@MrJohnblz]

You know what you need to be a commander in NASA, an advanced degree in aeronautical engineering, and background as a NAVY or Air Force pilot. Perfectly feasible for a woman in her mid 30s like Jessica Chastain to be the commander of this mission. And the other astronauts are usually just scientist who undertook astronaut training, so their ages are really irrelevant. Someone could be in their 20's and be a astronaut.

[@greypossum1]

I think it is important to think about the movie "Äpollo 13" and ask yourself how much of that you would have thought possible had it not been based on an actual event. I'm sure no one would have thought any of it plausible.

[@LittleMissBooLady]

I now know from the trailer alone that Mark Watney lasts at least 400 days in a hab designed to last 21 days. TMI.

[@SlylentGamer91]

The guy on the far right kind of reminds me of Bill Pullman.

[@JAContes]

I was sort of on board with Ben's comments about Jessica Chastain being too young, until I found out she was 37/38 when this was made. A 37/38 year old being a commander is not out of the realm of possibility.

[@Sapphonouveau]

Obviously as a geeky Brit, I'm a bit biased but... I kind of hope the European Space Agency got a bit of a look in? I mean, it's not like we've done anything major lately with regards to space research...

[@blueeyesaf]

For the record, Matt, driving across the ocean would also be very difficult.

[@avidreader111]

"Every human has a basic instinct - to help each other out." Does no one hear the bad grammar here? I mean, it's the most quoted sentence of the movie. Why did no one fix it in post-production or mention it in reviews? Really grating on the nerves.

[@Craigipedia]

Umm, it's important to note that Ben is TOTALLY wrong about his age complaint. He's totally wrong. The average astronaut in the corps is mid-30s. Chris Hadfield, who comes up, is one of the most famous astronauts and just retired at 56 after 20 years of space flights. Mark Kelly, another very famous astronaut, is 51 years old and has been flying for 15 years. Again, he started in his mid-30s. Matt Damon - 44 Aksel Hennie - 39 Michael Pena - 39 Jessica Chastain - 38 Sebastian Stan - 33 Kate Mara - 32 They are all right in the age range of a typical NASA astronaut. And, unlike crew for a one-way mission (where you might pick people in their 50s) if you are bringing them back that's an endurance test for a younger person. Ben just flat whiffed on this one.

[@dugfriendly]

The first time I heard the title, I was hoping for a movie about Valentine Michael Smith. Matt kinda schooled Ben in this video.

[@ozarkrunner]

Ben has become the guy you don't want to invite to the party.

[@chrismankey8251]

It's set in November of 2035. Ben. And the Chinese subplot was in the book. The Chinese have an actual space program. Probably still have one in 20 years. Also I thought the disco was hilarious.

[@MrInfinity418]

Astronauts are upbeat and are trained to stay positive to solve problems. Mark jokes because he is staying positive so he can solve the problems that come up. His humor and up beat attitude would be a big reason why he would be chosen to go on a mission to Mars. Having China help is not only in the book but important to the overall message that the world unites to save one of our own. It's not so much an American stranded on Mars but an earthling

[@mgeek1]

Wow, Christy and Alonso actually liked a movie. Quelle surprise.

[@julius-stark]

"this is a thousand times better than Interstellar" Matt is trying to get himself quoted on a TV spot with that one!

[@o_o942]

Can you guys watch both 3D and normal versions of these movies? I dunno if your employers pay you to watch these or you watch them out of pocket or you have some kind of bad-ass VIP badge or ring that gets you in for free. But if you can watch both versions, I'd very much appreciate opinions on which to see. This movie doesn't strike me as something that benefits greatly from 3D, but The Walk obviously would benefit from IMAX 3D. So maybe, I'm not asking you to watch all these movies in all versions, but for effects films like this where it's a tossup, I'd appreciate some guidance.

[@o_o942]

+O_o this wasn't shot for 3D really. The greater profit margin from the 3D release is obviously intended to recoup the high cost of a technically accurate (so practical effects and very little CG) science movie.

[@EdertheJust]

What was with Ben getting upset with the non-existing problems? It was like he was looking for something to complain about.

[@D12345]

I looked it up on NASA's official home page and there is no age restriction on the space program. There have been astronaut candidates as young as 26. Also being Sally Ride was the first woman in space and I believe one of the youngest if not the youngest. She was 32. Kate Mara is currently 32. This is not a feasible argument. Unlikely perhaps based on trends but still within the realm of possibility. I think Ben thinks Kate Mara is younger than she is. And I don't think NASA allows or prefers 50 year olds. I think that's to old for space.

[@TheArtman2023]

Interstellar is a different movie and should not be compared to the Martian. But if we are comparing the concepts and direction, I prefer interstellar ideas and over all concept. I felt the martian was cheesy at times and lacked the menace and awe of space. In other words I felt the movie felt too safe.

[@swiftsurerunner]

uhm, both buzz aldrin and neil armstrong were under 40 on apollo 11 ben mankiewicz

[@eviola11]

Omg thank you Ben, for saying it wasn't funny. It's not funny. Cliche jokes.

[@littlemar22]

+Eric Viola what joke was cliche he was joking about his place what lol

[@eviola11]

+littlemar22 Maybe cliche not right word. Just corny. So corny.

[@littlemar22]

Eric Viola well it really wasn't meant to be a comedy despite what the gg's say lol so i really dont know why that matters

[@eviola11]

+littlemar22 It matters because if you're going to try and be funny, be funny, not corny. You could also argue why so much jokey-ness should even be in this type of movie. That's a whole other issue.

[@littlemar22]

Eric Viola no many people thought it was funny dude humor is subjective i was saying this is not a comedy lol i thought it was funny so did many others i really had a problem with ben saying the astronauts can't be young comedy is subjective im not dumb for laughing and you're not smarter for not

[@rocksedge2000]

Ben, you shall henceforth be known as Ben "Forest for the Trees" Mankiewicz.

[@aliebellule]

Ben is right though. According to the NASA website, the youngest astronaut they have sent on a space mission was Sally Ride and she was 32 years old at the time.

[@Curt_Randall]

+Alie Chiasson Neil Armstrong was only 39 when he walked on the moon. Ben complained that Matt Damon is too young to play an astronaut at his age of 42. So that argument is fairly lame.

[@daltont3878]

+Scwurt I would agree that Matt Damon looked to young, but he clearly was old enough. The problem is everyone in this movie looks straight out of college

[@jjzgamer5507]

Wow! This may be the highest average score I've seen from these guys in a while. That makes me all the more excited for the movie tomorrow!

[@zolibako4816]

I agree with Ben in that it was a good movie, but not very special, and definitely not as funny as many people claim it.

[@MP-ih9wf]

Ok ... If they have to be older... How about Helen Mirren for the commander?

[@MauroRincon]

Ben is reaaally wrong here

[@deenclassic]

I absolutely love this film and i'm very happy Ridley Scott is back in form... However simple minded people are constantly trying to compare this film with Interstellar. Honestly Interstellar wasn't a simple, ordinary story. That film was trying to reach for something more... literally!

[@topher793]

driving across the ocean? Interesting.

[@Phi1618033]

According to NASA, the average astronaut age is 34.

[@eviola11]

Love the look Ben makes at 10:50: "oh, stfu"

[@spaceman081447]

The guy who was complaining about the actors ages is full of crap! The leader of the mission Commander (A navy rank - and yes, it might have been a NASA job title instead) Melissa Lewis was played by Jessica Chastain, who was 38 when the movie was made. The average age for a navy commander is 39, but obviously Melissa Lewis was much better than average to have been chosen for the astronaut corps and to have been chosen to lead the ARES III mission. (Remember that all of the applicants for astronaut positions - especially the ones who get picked - are super-achievers.) Matt Damon was 44 when the movie was being made (the critic got his age wrong too). Such an age is very comparable to the ages of the Apollo astronauts.