Fascinating and enthralling tale of resourcefulness, ingenuity and survival

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2016)

Fascinating and enthralling tale of resourcefulness, ingenuity and survival.
After a massive storm forces his crew to leave the planet, an astronaut, Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), is marooned on Mars, and presumed dead. Figuring that it would be at least four years until someone can rescue him, he sets out, though often ingenious means, to survive..
A very well thought-out and made movie from director Ridley Scott. Engrossing, engaging plot - the odds are against our hero, and you feel his plight, yet he finds ways to keep going. The resourcefulness stretches beyond a single man though, to the NASA, and other, people on the ground trying to get him home. This engenders a great feeling of a community of specialists working together.
While I can't validate the science in the movie (I'll leave that to Neil deGrasse Tyson!), the science FEELS right - there are no obvious plot holes or inaccuracies.
Good performances all round, especially from Matt Damon in the lead role. Only sour note is Sean Bean's character, which came across as cartoonish.
A must-see.