Lecture Program & Film Reviews: Lecture #3 Structural Theories & Storytelling Film Analysis

 The Three Act Structure in The Martian (2015)

The Martian Follows Mark, a stranded astronaut left alone to survive on Mars and presumed dead by his team. Mark faces many obstacles in order to stay alive; sourcing food, staying hydrated and contacting NASA.  Mark uses his botany skills to grow potatoes and ration his resources. Eventually, Mark makes contact with his team who are heading back to earth. The team decide to head back to mars and perform a flyby rescue to retrieve Mark from the red planet. 

Below, I demonstrate how the Three Act structure unfolds in The Martian:

Act 1

Exposition -  The team are preparing to leave Mars and head back to Earth.  A storm is predicting to hit soon, but statistics show it will be worse than previously expected.

 

Inciting incident -  The storm is unexpectedly bad, hitting the crew and risks tipping their ship. Debris hits Mark, separating him from his teammates. He's presumed dead and the team decide to leave Mars without him.

Plot Point 1 - Mark is stranded and impaled. He must treat his own wounds and find a way to contact his crew and NASA. 

Act 2

obstacles - Mark must find a way to grow enough food to last a rescue mission. He also needs a source of water for himself and his crops whilst creating a sustainable lifestyle in hostile Mars conditions. 

first culmination - A de-pressure hatch is breached and his plants are destroyed in an explosion.

Mid Point - Further obstacles, the resource ship fails to leave earths atmosphere. Mark has very little food to begin with. He must now stretch his rations to last even longer. 

Plot point 2 - Mark is stranded, but has the help of NASA back home. Instead of waiting for help, he now must find a way to meet his crew in a fly-by rescue. 

Climax - Mark launches from mars in an old spacecraft, the controls are in his teams' hands.

Act 3

Denouement 1: Third Act Twist - The teams ship and marks shuttle are slightly too far from each other. Mark deliberately breaks his suit to propel himself closer to his team. 

Denouement 2: The Resolution - Mark makes it to his team and finally leaves mars. Once on board, he is reunited with the crew. The major issue driving Mark has been resolved.