Movie Info

On a mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is thought to be dead after an intense storm. His crew proceeds to leave him there due to that misconception. However, Watney survives and learns that he’s stranded alone on Mars. He must put his ingenuity to the test in order to survive and signal to NASA that he is in fact alive. Meanwhile, NASA and his crew plot to save “The Martian” and bring him home.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Science fiction/ Fantasy

Directed By: Ridley Scott

Written By: Drew Goddard

Runtime: 2 hours, 14 minutes

Review

The Martian is tense, thrilling and funny. Matt Damon gives a spectacular performance while the script simplified science without dumbing it down. It allowed the viewers to understand Matt Damon’s struggle for survival in a concise and simple way. Truly, you won’t have to be a botanist to understand the scientific language or survival methods used throughout the movie.

The Martian had fantastic visual effects and a charming cast. The movie dragged from time to time, but the plot kept it interesting. The movie had a lot of cynical humor that was absolutely necessary in this type of movie. The overall message relayed from the beginning to end of the film was that if you’re stuck, work through it; every problem has a solution.

However, it was a bit too convenient for Damon to be a botanist; it seemed almost like a bit of a cop out. It allowed him to plant  potatoes on Mars, which obviously meant he’d be able to survive until help could reach him.

Damon makes the audience feel empathetic toward his situation. All though scientific studies have said that this whole scenario–dust storm and all–isn’t plausible, it’s quite an interesting situation to watch someone experience. With this being a serious narrative, the writing as well as Damon’s performance allowed for comic relief which was so fulfilling in this movie.

Overall, I’d give this film an 8/10. Despite some dragging and minor inconsistencies, I found The Martian to be reasonably entertaining and emotionally thrilling.