The Martian

'The Martian’ is definitely in the creative wheelhouse of filmmaker Ridley Scott whose Science Fiction sensibilities are grounded in colorful futuristic fantasies that tiptoe in grand whimsy. The veteran auteur responsible for such pop cultural high-minded spectacles in ‘Alien’, ‘Blade Runner’ and even the mixed bag reception of ‘Prometheus’ certainly brings a sophisticated and thought-provoking vibe to the probing aura of ‘The Martian’. As with other Scott-helmed productions, ‘The Martian’ set…

This is a movie that I have to say that I have a bit of a difficulty in rating. Quite honestly I was sorely tempted to remove a star, or even two stars. Why? Because it is full of Hollywood nonsense, scientific errors, it is rather predictable and it did feel a bit like a Apollo 13 rip-off. Why did I not remove those stars? Well, it is rather entertaining even if, at times, I squirmed in my seat. The movie starts of with a somewhat implausible event where a unexpected storm hits the Mars camp…

This is a movie following the lead started with Gravity with the human main character fighting for survival in space. The plot has a good combination of suspense, action, humor and drama. Damon performs well and the rest of the cast does a good job and has been well chosen. It is not a magnificent movie but it is good enough to fill a couple of hours of entertainment.

This movie is very entertaining and really imaginative. The narrative is well controlled so you don't feel bored or exhausted. The part that I like best is when the accident happened and Witney lost all his crops, the despair he had and the noisy scary sound of strong Mars winds blowing outside the base. The real loneliness. However, this movie's plot was too straight-forward as I see. Nearly every action proposed by the sorts of parties and organization was execute, taking the story forward …

Liked it.

Wuchak

May 7, 2019

8/10

***Realistic account of trying to survive on Mars while awaiting rescue*** In 2035 an astronaut (Matt Damon) gets stuck on Mars after he is presumed dead and his team departs without him. When NASA eventually finds out that he’s alive & well they have to find a way to save him. But can he survive for the next couple of years until they arrive? Jeff Daniels plays the director of NASA while Jessica Chastain plays the leader of the vessel. Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor and several other notables …

Peter McGinn

August 6, 2020

10/10

I feel like this science fiction movie was a stunning achievement, for at least a couple of reasons. Firstly, for much of the time it is a one man show, and that can be risky in a feature length film. It worked with acclaimed actors Tom Hanks in Cast Away, and with Robert Redford in All is Lost, but could it work with Matt Damon in a sci-fi flick? Well, I answer that question with a resounding ‘yes.’ The movie does cut away to planet Earth and the spaceship returning home without him, so it i…

CinemaSerf

April 15, 2023

7/10

A sudden and violent storm causes the team of the "Ares" mission to hastily abandon their camp and return to the relative safety of their orbiting spacecraft and a journey home. Giving the command to leave, their commander "Lewis" (Jessica Chastain) is informed that one of their number has been killed. Thing is, once the dust has (quite literally) settled, we discover that "Watney" (Matt Damon) is anything but. Impaled by an antenna needle he is alive and alone. Now a sort of space-bound "Robins…