Hilarious, smart and pure entertainment

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2015)

The Martian is one of the best movies of the year and let me tell you why.
What Ridley Scott (Director), Drew Goddard (Screenwriter), Andy Weir (Book), and Matt Damon do with this movie is so unconventional and smile inducing, that it may redefine how some movies mix genres. I threw this under the category of Drama, but it wasn't a drama. I thought of possibly putting it under the comedy or thriller section, but The Martian is not a comedy or thriller nor is it just a mere mixture of genres to create a new Sci-Fi movie. So what am I trying to say? The Martian is a mixture of numerous elements that are authentically blended in a way that few movies can attest to. Consequently this makes it significantly harder to put a genre on it, but in this case, I think it's a good thing.
The Martian is straight forward in its plot. Mark Watney (Damon) is stranded on Mars during an emergency evacuation due to a massive storm. The other crew members (Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie) think he is dead after they see him get struck by debris from the ship and so they are forced to leave him behind. Damon's character is then stuck with the seemingly impossible task to stay alive on Mars with limited resources and a 4 year time period until NASA's next mission to mars.
With a premise like this, you're most likely asking yourself, "Why is the first line of my synopsis 'Hilarious'?". The answer is found in the witty writing and amazingly charismatic performance of Matt Damon. Damon's character in the movie has a line in which he says "I'm going to have to science the S--- out of this". He must have looked at the script and said the same thing, only replacing science with charm. Watney is an overtly intriguing character even though there is virtually no background given to us about him. Weir and Goddard resist the cliché of giving him a family in order to heighten the stakes so that we care about Watney more (even though it would have been very easy and realistic to do). Instead, we rely on Damon's charm and delivery of the character to hold the stakes.
The Martian also did not go for outlandish Sci-Fi lore in the obvious far or near future or a super realistic drama with buzz kill characters. Instead it went for a superior inspiration of a slight detachment from present realism. The situation, the people, and the overall movie has an ideal outlook where the best is made of every hardship, and out of every character. You are aware that it is kind of outrageous and not completely in touch with what realistically would have happened, but in the end that's why The Martian is so great. Damon may have had too good of a time on mars and because of this his dread may never have been completely realized. Executives of NASA and others are VERY selfless (not just in action but in actually caring for Watney) and use extreme measures and resources in the rescue attempt of Watney. However, in real life that may sadly be a bit far fetched. Maybe this is just what we need and are drawn to by the Martian though, watching people on screen see a massive need and doing all they can to relieve it.
The Martian is one of the best movies of the year, why? Matt Damon gives one of his most compelling performances and The Martian is a straight up good time while also intriguing to the mind. The film is also a great study on the nature of humanity and our desire to help one another.