Movie review
September 30, 2015 · 141 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
This is straight-up hard sci-fi survival with zero identity politics or lectures. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets stranded on Mars and uses brains, science, and grit to stay alive while NASA scrambles to bring him home. The story is all problem-solving, teamwork, and human ingenuity—no race swaps, no gender sermons, no institutional takedowns. Cast is mixed but it serves the international NASA premise without ever becoming the point. A pre-woke-era crowd-pleaser that sticks to the book’s focus on real science and hope.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Martian.
Woke representation / casting
Mixed international crew fits NASA premise; no emphasis, swaps, or framing around identity (changes actually reduced Asian roles).
Woke political dialogue
None present; dialogue is all mission logistics and science.
Identity-driven story themes
Story engine is pure survival and ingenuity—no representation messaging or identity arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
NASA and teamwork portrayed positively; no systemic takedowns.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant (minor book-to-film tweaks unrelated to identity politics).
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Zero anti-woke backlash; only “not diverse enough” complaints ignored per guidelines.
Creator track record context
No history of activist or identity-focused work; aligns with low score.
Production
