Each time I see promotional material for The Martian, I can't help but think of it as the origin story for Matt Damon's ill-fated Interstellar character (doesn't help that Jessica Chastain's in the mix too). But the film's not that. It's an adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling 2011 novel of the same name. 20th Century Fox have dropped a second trailer for Ridley Scott's new sci-fi epic, so check it out below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8 Confession time, I haven't read the source text, so I'm not quite sure how authentically this promotional material is communicating the essence or narrative of the novel, although despite my ignorance, I like what I'm seeing, The Martian will be be director Ridley Scott's fourth sci-fi outing, and he doesn't have a bad batting average in the genre. Yes, Prometheus was a disappointment, but even it managed moments of fleeting excellence, and his other two credits (Alien and Blade Runner) are stone cold classics. Holding The Martin to that standard is probably unfair, but given the popularity of the book and the quality cast I'm seeing here (Damon, Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, Sean Bean, Kate Mara...) I'm hopeful the film-maker is onto a winner. Also, bonus points for atmospheric use of some Hendrix. Even if it's just a marketing ploy it gives this trailer a likable dose of added personality. The Martian opens on 30th September in the UK, and a few days later on 2nd October in the US.
