by Cameron Tejeda | staff writer

The Martian is directed by Ridley Scott and is about an astronaut who is stranded on Mars after a storm hits, and his crew must abandon him. I’ve been a fan of Ridley Scott ever since seeing great movies made by him including Alien (1979) and Gladiator (2000). So I was expecting some good things from this movie, and he didn’t disappoint.

Matt Damon stars as the astronaut that must find a way to survive on Mars with very limited resources. He does an amazing job in this role, providing emotional and humorous elements. The movie was actually really funny, which is something that surprised me. But there are also very tense and serious parts, like when Damon has to operate surgery on himself. These two components combined to create a well balanced mood. Matt Damon’s character is extremely optimistic even after suffering through many hardships, which right away makes him likeable and made me root for him the entire film. He always found a way to crack a joke in some of the most hopeless situations. Other actors that stood out to me were Jeff Daniels as the head of NASA, Jessica Chastain as a ship commander, and Chiwetel Ejiofor who plays a mission director. They all gave great performances as well. The science involved in the film was easy to understand and interesting, which was important considering how a big of a part it played in the story. I was completely intrigued when Damon was trying to find a way to make crops grow on a planet with no life.

The film as a whole felt a little long however. There was also a pretty big gap I noticed that didn’t involve Matt Damon and focused elsewhere. These were just small problems though, as I don’t think they affected the film that much.

Although the score for the movie was solid overall, I don’t think it was anything that great. The visuals on the other hand are spectacular to look at, and the scenery convincingly looked like Mars. The movie was shot beautifully, with vivid colors and great detail.

The Martian is a fantastic movie that you should definitely check out if you are a fan of science fiction. It tells a fascinating story, has breathtaking visuals, and wraps it up with a thrilling finale.

My Rating: A-