The Martian

Rating: 8/10 (11 October 2015)

I really do not care what the movie is about, if Ridley Scott is directing, I want to see it. I mean, how cool is it to be able to go to a movie theater and watch a movie directed by the guy who made Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator? It's so awesome. The problem is Ridley Scott has been inconsistent over the years, with some less great films, like Exodus: Gods and Kings. I am happy to say, however, the Martian will probably be another Scott classic.
The Martian is a very intriguing and smart movie, the cinematography is absolutely stunning and I have no idea where they shot the movie, but one could actually believe they are on Mars. The desert wastelands are just breathtaking. The movie is also very funny, surprisingly and features great performances by a huge cast, especially Matt Damon, who is just awesome in this. Chiwetel Ejiofor is also great, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean and others do a great job as well.
I love movies like this that incorporate real science into the plot, but it also makes it clear to the audience what it all means. It's a great way to make the plot of the movie believable and it worked great in the Martian.
Now, there are flaws in the movie, particularly for me it was the pacing. Every single Matt Damon scene is great, the movie feels like Castaway on Mars, and I loved that. But sometimes the focus shifts to the people on Earth and NASA trying to solve the problem and bring Damon's character Mark Watney home. I understand the things that happen on Earth have to be explained in order for the movie to make sense. However, the pacing of the movie slows down a lot and we get to see less of Watney's epic quest for survival. Some sequences towards the end feel slow because of this and there is a very long stretch in the movie that doesn't even show the main character of the film. Once you've established who the hero in the movie is, well, we should be able to follow him in his character ark. And the movie doesn't really let us do this, because it shifts focus so many times.
Despite its flaws, The Martian looks great, the effects are pretty good, the cinematography is beautiful and the acting is solid. I didn't particularly enjoy that much of the sequences on Earth, but they were necessary. The Martian, I believe and hope, will be regarded in the future as a very funny Ridley Scott classic.