The phrase “Which Movie Is This Where the Answer Is Avoided” points to a clever guessing game or riddle popular among movie fans, where the film in question is The Martian from 2015. In this sci-fi survival story directed by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney, the plot hinges on repeated moments of evasion and delay in revealing critical truths, keeping everyone guessing about his fate[1].
Picture this: A brutal dust storm hits the Ares III mission on Mars. The crew thinks Watney is dead after debris blasts him away during evacuation. They blast off without him, leaving him stranded. Back on Earth, NASA spots signs he’s alive through satellite images, but top boss Teddy Sanders holds off telling the returning crew, sparking heated debates among officials[1]. Flight director Mitch Henderson fights it, but Sanders dodges the full disclosure to avoid risks.
Watney, meanwhile, hacks old tech like the Pathfinder probe to send signals, yet answers stay out of reach for days. Rescue plans get shot down as too dangerous. Even when the crew learns the truth and votes to turn back, Sanders publicly backs them but privately demands resignations. The tension builds as Watney races across Mars to a rendezvous point, stripping down vehicles and improvising wild fixes, all while the “yes or no” on his survival gets sidestepped again and again[1].
These avoidance beats make the movie a thriller. No one rushes to confirm Watney’s status. Leaders weigh odds, crews improvise in secret, and Watney jokes through logs to cope. It’s like a real-life game of 20 questions where the answer—will he make it?—gets pushed back for maximum drama. Fans love quoting lines where Watney says he’s “not dying on this planet,” turning evasion into edge-of-your-seat fun[1].
The film’s roots come from Andy Weir’s novel, where Watney’s upbeat humor shines despite isolation, and Scott amps up the dodged decisions to heighten stakes[1]. For more on screenwriting twists like this, podcasts break down how such “avoid the answer” plots hook viewers[2].
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)
https://johnaugust.com/scriptnotes
