Catch this one on the big screen

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2015)

Initial trailers did not stir my interest in Ridley Scott's latest endeavor, especially considering his string of misfires in recent years (although I did like the generally sloppy Prometheus) but the early word-of-mouth bested my lack of curiosity and got me excited. Turns out everyone was right.
The Martian appropriately begins on Mars, where it spends most of its runtime. A group of astronauts are attempting to take off from the planet in the midst of a terrible storm, which knocks out Mark Watney (Matt Damon), and the crew leaves him, believing he is dead and unable to find his body in the storm. As we all know from the trailers, however, Mark Watney is alive and he intends to keep things that way. But things look pretty dismal; he is on a planet where nothing grows, has only enough supplies to last him a few months at best, and has no way to communicate with NASA or anyone else on Earth. But he does not give up hope in the face of adversity.
Putting his experience in botany to use, Mark successfully begins to grow food and increases his chances of living. He also develops a system of communication using only the still camera available to him. He doesn't have many resources, but he puts each of them to the best of use. Mark Watney's early success can be chalked up to high intelligence, resourcefulness, and a little bit of luck.
Such is the case with the film. Drew Goddard's script, based on the book by Andy Weir, takes every factor into consideration to make life on Mars seem plausible, albeit extremely challenging. Despite it's high level of scientific exposition, The Martian also doesn't forget to have a sense of humor. Mark Watney is the type of person NASA would want in space (unlike Sandra Bullock's character in Gravity), and he seems like the type of guy almost anyone would want to hang out with.
So it comes as a surprise that Watney is unmarried, without children, leaving no real emotional connection to Earth. Yet all of the other members of the Hermes ship have family, so it begs the question; shouldn't they have written Watney to have a family, or should they have made someone else the main character? The movie only scratches the surface of loneliness, yet it's tagline is "Help is only 140 million miles away." The Martian might feel real in its scientific approach, its blend of humor and action, but it lacks much drama beneath the main plot.
Still, The Martian's script is carried well by an excellent performance from Matt Damon, who feels fresher in this film than he has in years; he has an energy that most actors would not have been able to carry on screen. Its supporting cast is full of big-name surprises, most who perform well (Jeff Daniels is great, for example, while Donald Glover is a touch too comedic all things considered). Ridley Scott has always been a director to summon impassioned performances, but doesn't always have the right material, but the stars line up here, and it's a spectacle to behold.
Other great things about the film include:  The Martian landscape; extremely picturesque and rich in color  The pacing; at 140 minutes, The Martian never feels overlong or boring, thanks to snappy editing and a tight script  The soundtrack is selective and fun
Things that don't work:  The CGI; the VFX looks a few years behind in design  The final action sequence; the movie loses some of its scientific credibility in the final moments  It's standard Hollywood formula and it doesn't really break the mold in any way
The Martian might suffer a little from emotional depth and its conventional structure, but the movie is extremely entertaining and keeps you on the edge of your seat even if you know what to expect. It is a fun Hollywood blockbuster full in its development, and it's a great comeback for director Ridley Scott. I highly recommend catching this one on the big screen before it's gone; the screen on your laptop won't do it justice.