Before diving into readings of the film, let's first get up to speed on the plot. Astronaut Mark Watney is left stranded on Mars by his crew, presumed dead, when an evacuation of the Ares III mission during a dangerous dust storm goes wrong. The rest of the team begin the long journey home aboard their ship, the Hermes, and NASA announce Mark's death to world. However, Mark's actually alive, saved by a broken antenna. He sets about finding a way to survive on the inhospitable planet, including growing food, producing water and, biggest of all, finding a way home. From satellite imagery of the site, NASA realise their astronaut survived and begin trying to make contact with Mark. Over a year-long period various attempts are made by both the space agency and Mark to advance his return home, but the dangers of the hostile planet mean they all result in failure. As time begins to run out, it becomes clear there are only two options - send a supply package to Mark and hope he can survive until a new mission can reach him, or slingshot the Hermes around Earth on a risky rescue mission. The crew of the ship force NASA's hand and the whole world watches as they attempt to save their friend.
And What Actually Happens At The End?
Short answer: Mark gets home. The ending itself is actually presented rather naturally. The Ares IV shuttle, which was sent to Mars ahead of Mark's mission mission, is gutted and used to fire him into the upper atmosphere of Mars and intercept with the Hermes. Things don't go quite according to the math and the crew have to blow open the ship's airlock to adjust course while Mark punctures his spacesuit to make the final leap, but eventually the Martian gets back among the company of other humans. At the very end, Mark goes home and becomes a lecturer for new young astronauts and, in an extended scene over the credits, we see the future of the rest of the cast as the Ares V mission is launched. That's what happens, but what does it mean? And what about those niggling questions?
