A Well Balanced Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2016)

The Martian is, despite its harsh premise, a relatively fun movie, but as the title suggests, the fun is well countered by doses of good old fashioned deadly peril.
Acting wise, the parts are very well played. Matt Damon's character takes up most of the screen time, especially because about half of the movie's scenes depict him alone. These characters tend to be very static. They stay the same throughout the course of the film rarely undergoing any change to their personality. This sounds like a negative characteristic, but it actually works to the film's advantage. The story is significantly driven by realism, despite its classification as science fiction. Accordingly, just as the events are realistic, so are the characters and their actions.
The Cinematography is also quite spectacular. The camera alternates between regular shots, helmet cams, and various other surveillance devices. This is by no means a new or innovative concept, but it is used in such a way, to advance the experience very nicely. The shots of space are also fantastic, though there is little majesty to be found in the landscape, as there was in Interstellar, a movie that draws many obvious comparisons, especially because they both involve Matt Damon being lost in space.
The Martian, despite its lack of a military presence is very reminiscent of a story by the late Tom Clancy. I haven't read the book, (namely because after the movie, I feel as though it would put me to sleep)but the unchanging characters and realism of the plot do work together to make an interesting product. The main events of the story are built not so much around human emotions, but around complicated scientific processes which are conveniently explained for people like myself who can scarcely understand a lick of chemistrian.
Where this movie succeeds the most is when it lulls the viewer into a sense of relaxation. The movie becomes almost fun to watch as you witness these ingenious happenstances playing out before you. And then, BAM!!! The unsuspecting viewer is launched into a suddenly suspenseful situation. Thrust out of a reclining state, back to the edge of their seat. It is this wonderful juxtaposition that makes The Martian the well rounded masterpiece that it is.