So I saw The Martian opening night last week, and although Matt Damon wears an orange space suit in both the Martian and Interstellar they are in no way related and, honestly, quite different. I really enjoyed both movies and wanted to compare the two and tell you which one I think is better. I would also talk about Gravity, but honestly I didn’t find it that great and only comparing two things is more efficient. I guess I’ll start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed both films and thought that they were very well directed, that being said I think that Interstellar was a better movie overall.
One of the main flaws that I found in The Martian was that Matt Damon’s character was the only one that was really developed. The movie immediately starts with him being trapped alone on Mars so you don’t have a good understanding of the crew and their personalities. If you read the book you may have an easier time appreciating and relating to them, but reading a book should not be necessary for the enjoyment of a movie. Interstellar had a smaller crew and more time exploring the personalities of each character. I did appreciate the diverse cast of The Martian though.
Another thing that I think Interstellar did far better was the soundtrack. To this day I still go back and listen to emotional tracks from Interstellar. The Martian mostly implemented the soundtrack for comical purposes and I can’t even remember an original track from the film. Soundtracks can be such powerful tools in supporting the mood of a movie and Interstellar really shined when it comes to the music.
On the topic of emotions I should also say that Interstellar was much more emotional to me and that also ties in to the far better character development. Both movies had a good sense of unity among the crews, but I still think that Interstellar really shined.
Re-watch-ability is also important to think about in a movie. The Martian is mainly a survival movie where Interstellar is more intellectual and space exploration based. Interstellar leaves you with questions to think about while still having a satisfying ending. The Martian’s ending seemed a bit rushed and left me wanting more. Everything up to the end took its time explaining things then sped things up at the end. Interstellar also kept a much darker mood while the Martian was pretty light at times and threw in humor a lot.
At the end of the day both were great movies and I think it really just comes down to preference. The Martian was much more comedic and survival based and Interstellar was a lot darker and emotional. Both movies are worth watching and have their audience. As always thanks for reading.