The Martian was a very interesting movie, mainly because it embodied the human will to survive no matter how adverse the environment. There Mark Watney was- alone on a deserted, red, sandy planet without sufficient food and in a shelter where the tiniest thing that goes awry could kill him. Yet Mark Watney somehow persevered- he used his knowledge, he got to work, and he sustained himself, beating all the odds. He figured out how to grow and harvest crops on Mars, subjected himself to eating exclusively potatoes every day, dug up a radioisotope generator to keep him war, and more. It speaks to a very primal, fundamental truth we all hold internally- that mankind is strong and no matter bad something looks, it can overcome. The film was also surprising in how it depicted the mindset that Mark had during his time on Mars. I would expect Mark to be depressed and lack motivation due to his very slim chances of survival, or I would expect him to counterbalance the lack of morale by reaffirming to himself that he could survive. But Mark remained cool and stoic. It seemed as if he didn’t take his situation as seriously as it seemed- he would laugh, listen to disco music, and joke that he would die. But his relatively jovial and easy-going manner is what kept him alive. As he said at the end of the movie when speaking to a group of younger students, he didn’t focus on the fact that he was going to die and let that phase him. Nor did Mark get overwhelmed by trying to boost his morale and convince himself that he would survive. He did not get caught up or obsessed in the matter of whether or not he could survive- rather he remained level-headed, simply sat down, and started doing problems, and eventually did enough math that he was able to go home (as he said at the end of the movie).