Movie review: The Martian

A manned mission to Mars goes horribly wrong and Astronaut Mark Watney is whisked away in a storm, presumed dead, and left behind by his crewmates. Even more horrible, Mark actually survived and finds himself stranded and alone with limited supplies.

Matt Damon (Mark), Jessica Chastain (Melissa), Kristen Wiig (Annie), Jeff Daniels (Teddy), Michael Pena (Rick), Sean Bean (Mitch), Kate Mara (Beth), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Vincent), Sebastian Stan (Chris), Aksel Hennie (Alex).

The Martian is quite simply an incredible ride full of tension, torment, and excitement. Mark being left on Mars may be the hook, but the real story is how he will survive and if he will ever get home. Being stranded is a problem but being unable to let those on Earth know you are still alive is even worse. And with the best chance for rescue years away Mark will have to find ways to grow food, produce oxygen, and try to maintain his sanity.

Acting was very nicely done with Damon delivering exceptionally well. With a nod to Ridley's directing, Damon brought good emotion to every aspect of his character throughout the film. Chastain also did quite well with solid delivery. Daniels, Pena, Bean, Ejiofor were all good and supported well. The remainder of the cast, too many to mention, did wonderfully and acting was a big part of what made this film a success.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were beautiful and captured very well. CGI and effects were awesome and came close to ruling the film. Space scenes were a delight, fully imparting the dimension and size of things along with the lack of gravity. Dialogue was enjoyable which is amazing considering much of it is Damon speaking to himself. Sound and soundtrack were good.

Overall The Martian is an enjoyable, mind-melting 2 hours of Sci-Fi Action & Adventure you don't want to miss. Intense drama, Sci-Fi Adventure, and space fans should enjoy this one quite a bit.

With some foul language, mild nudity, mild gore, and some intense scenes, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2015
Reviewed: 5.2.16
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy, Sci-Fi Adventure, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi Action Drama

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel