Entertaining Space Adventure Overseeing A Spaceman Fighting To Survive

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2020)

Pros:
1. The costume and set design are are incredible and intricately designed.
2. The futuristic score and Disco soundtrack does a great job at suiting the space setting, as well as helping the film a lift when needed.
3. Matt Damon (Mark Watney) gives a fantastic performance.
4. The comedy is inserted well, and does an amazing job at preventing the movie from becoming too dark.
5. The cinematography is really eye-catching, especially the stunning and breathtaking shots of Mars.
6. All of the characters make intelligent and deep character decisions, which makes every decision hit harder, in addition to fully empathising with the characters and their ordeal.
7. When Mark Watney is finally reunited with Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), it is a genuinely emotional scene.
Cons:
1. There is some dodgy shaky cam in the beginning.
2. There are a couple plot-holes. For example, If NASA hates fire (including items that can contribute to fire), how come they let Rick Martinez (Michael Peña) bring a wooden crucifix to Mars? Surely they would check personal items taken by the astronauts? Another example would be the Chinese choosing to sacrifice their technology secrets to save an American astronaut; they would never do this in the real world.
3. The movie doesn't focus enough on the psychological impacts that being left alone, with very little hope of escape, on a strange planet would do to a person.
4. When narrating messages, the film bizarrely has the receiver and the sender both read out the message. You only need one.
5. Some of the characters are given very little, if anything, to do. This includes both Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) and Annie Montrose (Kristen Wiig).