The Martian: 3 Act Structure

 

Film Review: The Martian

Finding how the Martian sits into the broader idea of a 3 Act structure was fairly easy, as its laid out narratively in 3 very clear acts. However deciding what part of the movies where what in terms of inciting incident, mid point and Climax where harder Distinctions.

Exposition

The First scenes of the movie are full of exposition showing the cast on mars taking samples and carrying out other various scientific experiments. The Title along with the design of the set shows this to be astronauts on mars and sets up the location for most of the movie going forward.

Inciting Incident

This would be where the rest of the astronauts leave our main character Mark Watney on mars after presuming him dead in a storm. He instead doesn't die and manages to make it to the relative safety of the space habitat where he stops himself from bleeding to death. Before the audience is told about marks plans on how to stay alive fighting the main problem he faces in the whole move, the amount of food he has.

Plot point one

Nasa learns that mark is still alive and establishes communications with him. A plan is laid out to send enough food for Mark to survive on mars until a manned mission Nasa already has planned, makes it to mars in a few years time. This Continues to be the driving force of the race against time laid out in the movie being used t build tension as the days pass before the audiences eyes. This could be a reason each new scene starts with what day it is for mark clearly marking the passage of time.

Mid Point 

The rocket that Nasa had rushed to build in order to meet the time restrain they where working with blows up at launch. Leaving little hope for the rescue of Mark from starvation as he is stranded on mars. This is marked as a low point in the movie when the people at Nasa seem to have no hope in getting new supplies to mark.

Plot Point 2

At a meeting behind closed doors there is discussed an idea to send the crew of marks original team back to mars to get him as they could do so faster due to the speed they where already going on there way back to earth. During this point there is a revelation from the Chinese space program who have a rocket built and a collaboration is offered in order to save mark by sending supplies. Nasa has to make a choice between using the rocket to send extra supplies to the crew and send the crew back to pick up mark or send the supplies to mark and return the crew home.

Climax

The climax of the movie is when the crew take control away from Nasa and force them to go with the plan to go back for mark. This sequence sees them  turn the ship around to go back for mark. Being this point in the movie mark is taking a huge trip across the surface of mars to the place where Nasa's next mission will take place, this is dangerous and the culmination of marks efforts up to this point in the movie.

Twist

Is when mark is sent up to meet his crew in the upper atmosphere of mars, Problems arise is the act of getting him on board. Something that was always though of as a given in the grand plot of the movie becomes a difficult moment and a very tense and dangerous situation.  I could easily see this moment argued as the climax of the movie but as this is almost the very end of the movie I thought it was more suited as the twist. 

I could have very easily discussed this movie in terms of the 5 act structure instead of the 3, The very short time before the inciting incident and after the saving of mark could be used to fit into that structure having tension build up across act 2, 3 and 4. But because I see the climax as the decision
to go back i felt it fit the 3 act structure better, and could be more easily identified in the movie as such.