The Martian = Gravity but on Mars (yet still an excellent film)

Rating: 9/10 (30 September 2015)

If you have seen Gravity then The Martian is similar in story concept ONLY.
The rest of The Martian is quite unique. Ridley Scott is back to his superb best this is one of his best directing efforts ever! The story is quite simple. Astronaut gets stranded on Mars & has to survive for 4 years......
How he survives is a mixture of: Cast Away, Apollo 13, Gravity & Flight Of The Phoenix (1965).
How/if he survives & his human spirit/ingenuity/endurance/survival skills are the core of the movie.
Everything about this movie works quite well. Direction is tight & smooth. VFX are flawless & long slow deliberate cuts allowing you time to take in the Martian & Outer Space vista'.
Acting across the board is of a high standard. Matt Damon carries most of the movie well but he is not alone as the rest of the main cast all contribute strongly when required.
If you want a near future science fact based disaster movie which is a mixture of Gravity, Apollo 13 & Cast Away then the Martian ticks all those boxes & the best compliment I can pay it is that the 141 min running time is never noticed the pace is slick & fast yet also measured. I guess a strong sign of how well directed this movie is & how well the story is told in an easy to follow manner.