The Martian Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of "The Martian" is a stellar offering, maintaining the high standards set by prior releases. Featuring a new extended version, the visuals remain consistent across both cuts, leveraging the original high-quality transfer. Shot digitally with Red Epic Dragon and Red Scarlet Dragon cameras, complemented by GoPro Hero4 for video diary segments, the film is showcased in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This slight modification from the theatrical 2.35:1 ratio is barely noticeable in home settings. The overall sharpness is exemplary, and the extensive digital environments, particularly the Mars landscapes, exhibit a remarkable palette of deep oranges and browns without any bleeding or banding issues.

The interior scenes on Mars and on Earth demonstrate a teal/bluish color palette typical of contemporary cinematic styles, offering a crisp and detailed visual experience. Skin tones appear natural and lifelike throughout. While the GoPro-footage expectedly lacks the same quality as the primary digital footage, it is not detrimental to the overall viewing experience. The AVC-coded 1080p transfer faithfully preserves the film’s intended aesthetic, with consistently solid colors and impressively maintained contrast levels. The black levels are particularly noteworthy, providing depth and richness to darker scenes.

Overall, "The Martian" on Blu-ray approaches reference quality save for minor limitations in the GoPro segments. The visual presentation will undoubtedly satisfy viewers with its fidelity and attention to detail, showcasing the film’s diverse environments beautifully. The ability to select between the original theatrical cut and the unrated extended edition from the main menu adds valuable versatility, ensuring an immersive viewing experience regardless of the chosen version.

The 7.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track on "The Martian" Blu-ray is an exemplary showcase of superior sound engineering. This reference-quality audio track delivers immersive soundscapes with noticeable and distinct separation, capturing both the film's serene moments and its more action-packed sequences with equal finesse. The surround use is particularly effective, creating a highly dynamic auditory experience. The dialogue is perfectly balanced, primarily rooted in the center channel, ensuring clarity without overpowering the rest of the soundtrack. Additionally, Harry Gregson-Williams' atmospheric score and the iconic disco hits spread beautifully across the front and rear channels, enriching the auditory texture.

Moreover, the Blu-ray includes a 5.1 English Descriptive audio track for the theatrical version, as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in Spanish and French. The subtitles are robustly supported with options in English SDH, Spanish, and French, including for the commentary track. Despite the absence of a Dolby Atmos upgrade found in the 4K Ultra HD edition, this 7.1 track remains exceptional, delivering aggressive split atmospheric effects during intense scenes like storms and explosions while maintaining appeal during quieter moments. Each element of the soundtrack is expertly recorded and mixed, ensuring that "The Martian" stands out as one of the best-sounding releases available.

The Blu-ray release of "The Martian" by Ridley Scott offers a comprehensive and engaging set of extras that provide an in-depth look into the making of the film and the science behind it. The audio commentary by Ridley Scott, Drew Goddard, and Andy Weir offers invaluable insights, blending technical details and entertaining anecdotes. "The Long Way Home" documentary delivers a thorough exploration of the film's production process, while "Dare Mighty Things" and "Journey to Mars 101" capture NASA's real-life Mars mission endeavors. Additional content, including deleted scenes, gag reels, and faux-documentaries, embellish the extras' depth, making this Blu-ray a must-have for enthusiasts of the film and space exploration.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Insightful comments by Ridley Scott, Drew Goddard, and Andy Weir.
• Deleted Scenes: Includes three additional scenes.
• The Long Way Home: Making The Martian: Extensive documentary about the film’s production.
• Investigating Mars: Three-part series delving into real-life Mars science.
• Dare Mighty Things: NASA’s Journey to Mars: Examination of NASA’s Mars mission efforts.
• Journey to Mars 101: Panel discussions featuring experts on space and science.
• Ridley Scott Discusses NASA's Journey to Mars: Brief commentary from Ridley Scott.
• Gag Reel: Entertaining bloopers from the shoot.
• Ares Mission Videos: Collection of in-character clips from the cast.
• Production Art Gallery: Gallery of artwork from the film.
• Theatrical Trailers: Compilation of four trailers.

The film "The Martian" is a formidable achievement for director Ridley Scott and his team, blending technical excellence with an unexpected sense of humor and lightheartedness. Centered around astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), who is stranded on Mars after a violent storm, the narrative oscillates between his resourceful survival efforts and the simultaneous attempts by NASA to engineer a rescue mission. The screenplay, adapted from Andy Weir's novel by Drew Goddard, strikes a delicate balance between scientific rigor and engaging storytelling. Scott's direction ensures visual diversity through the use of various in-camera techniques, enhancing both the realism and emotional depth of the solitary Martian landscape portrayed. The film successfully avoids cliché 'Hollywood' tropes, focusing instead on complex characters and realistic problem-solving scenarios.

The Extended Edition of "The Martian" adds ten minutes of footage that, while not drastically altering the film, provides additional character insights and context, particularly concerning Watney's humor and resilience. These extra scenes blend seamlessly into the existing structure, neither enhancing nor detracting from the overall pacing. While the added runtime doesn't redefine the narrative, it offers enhanced enjoyment for fans and newcomers alike. Essentially, the extended cut remains a testament to the script's strength and Scott's deft direction.

"The Martian" excels not only as a gripping survival story but also as a celebration of human ingenuity and collaboration under extreme conditions. The performances are uniformly strong, with Matt Damon’s portrayal of Watney standing out for its charm and relatability. Supporting roles, including Jeff Daniels as NASA Director Teddy Sanders and Jessica Chastain as Commander Melissa Lewis, further enrich the storyline through expertly depicted interpersonal dynamics. The authenticity of the scientific challenges faced and the innovative solutions proposed resonate well with audiences, making "The Martian" a standout entry in modern science fiction cinema.

The Extended Edition Blu-ray of "The Martian" builds substantially on the original release, combining both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film with an impressive array of supplementary materials. The additional footage in the extended cut is neutral in its impact on the movie’s engaging narrative, neither enhancing nor detracting from the core experience. However, where this release shines is in its extensive behind-the-scenes content. Fans and newcomers alike will appreciate the in-depth exploration of the film's production, providing valuable insights into the filmmaking process and the scientific principles that drive the storyline.

From a technical perspective, this release boasts first-rate video and audio quality. The high-definition transfer beautifully captures the stunning Martian landscapes and the intense human drama. The sound design is equally commendable, immersing viewers in the vast emptiness of Mars and the frenetic environment of NASA’s mission control. This edition also houses all previously available bonus materials, ensuring that nothing is left out for collectors or those newly discovering the film.

This is one extended edition where the actual extensions are no great shakes, but the additional supplementary material is really excellent, helping to boost this release's allure. Double dipping may not be an absolute imperative here, but the good news is for those who do choose to buy this again, there is copious new material here, even if the bulk of it is extracurricular, as it were. For those who didn't pick up the first release, getting this should be a no-brainer, since both versions of the film are here, and aside from a couple of missing supplements which are now subsumed within the bounteous new supplements, the bonus material is also fantastic. Technical merits are first rate, and this version of The Martian comes Highly Recommended.