‘The Martian’: Matt Damon’s Stranded Astronaut Seeks Divine Intervention

‘The Martian’: Matt Damon’s Stranded Astronaut Seeks Divine Intervention August 31, 2015

matt-damon-the-martian

Over at Angelus News, the online version of The Tidings, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, I did a piece on the new film “The Martian,” due out Oct. 2. Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Matt Damon as an astronaut left for dead during a Mars mission, who must struggle to survive until a rescue mission can be launched.

The assembled press was shown about half of the still-unfinished film, and I got a very pleasant surprise. Then when I dug a little deeper, the surprise got better and better.

Hollywood loves to use Catholic symbols and characters, but it’s very seldom kind or fair (or even accurate). But every now and then …

Here’s a taste:

In one scene, Watney needs to burn something, but fire-averse NASA insists that everything be flame-retardant. So, Watney turns to the only flammable material he can find — a wooden crucifix left behind by fellow astronaut Martinez (Michael Peña).

Watney carefully carves a few slivers off the bottom of it. Then, lying in his bunk, he looks at Christ on the cross and says (according to my notes), “I figuring you’re OK with this, considering my circumstances. Countin’ on ya.”

After the screening, roundtable interviews with Feustel, Green and Weir took place at nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA/CalTech facility where Mars rovers are designed and built.

Asked about the crucifix, Weir said, “In the movie, that’s the only reference to Martinez’ religion. In the book, there are a few other times where he’s praying. … He’s supposed to be a devout Catholic.”

But there’s more to it. Click here to read the rest.

Here’s the trailer (tiny bit of mild profanity):

Image: Courtesy 20th Century Fox

Don’t miss a thing: head over to my other home at CatholicVote and like my Facebook page.


Browse Our Archives