The Martian is a science fiction film starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott. I'm a big fan of Ridley Scott's work as a director, but I feel that most of his recent films have been very hit and miss. However, The Martian serves as a firm reminder as to why I am a fan of him in the first place. Not since Interstellar have I seen a sci-fi movie this thought-provoking or cleverly written.
After an intense sandstorm devastates a manned mission to Mars, the crew are forced to abandon the desolate planet and astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left stranded. Unbeknownst to the crew, Watney survived, albeit injured from the storm, and tries to find ways to survive the inhospitable climate of the red planet. Being a botanist, Watney figures out how to grow food for himself out of the crew's leftover vegetable supplies and uses his scientific knowledge to create water using hydrogen crystals and oxygen from the crew's base camp. However, these supplies can only sustain him for a matter of months as a rescue mission from Earth will take 4 years to reach him. Watney must find a way to signal back to Earth that he is alive and is in urgent need of rescuing before he runs out of food and water.
Despite its somewhat bleak tone of survival in a hostile terrain, the film still manages to have its fair share of funny and heartwarming moments, which are seamlessly intertwined into the film's more dramatic scenes. Matt Damon is perfectly cast as the wisecracking, yet intelligent astronaut Mark Watney and his positive attitude toward his survival is what keeps us invested in the story. The rest of the cast are great too, which includes Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain, and even Donald Glover from Community. I was also particularly pleased with the film's pacing, there was never a moment that felt rushed or slow and boring. This is a welcome return to form for the legendary director Ridley Scott.
I rate it a solid 9/10.
