Castaway + Gravity = immensely watchable movie

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2015)

If Castaway and Gravity were to have a child, and that child had a great sense of humor and optimism, that would be The Martian.
Matt Damon is perfectly cast as the titular character, so called because he is the first to grow plants on Mars, and therefore colonize it. He plays Mark Watney, an astronaut who is left for dead by his colleagues on Mars, after a freak accident leaves him unconscious during a aborted Mars mission. Well, he is NOT dead, soon recovers and patches himself up, and then dedicates himself to the task of sustaining himself until the next rescue mission.
Mark's character is that of an intelligent optimist, with a generous sense of humor and level-headedness. All of these qualities go a long way in making sure that he does not lose hope during the time that he is on Mars, and that he takes ownership for his sustenance and eventual rescue.
There is a sense of intimacy created between the audience and Mark, since a big part of the movie consists of him talking directly to the camera (ostensibly recording vlogs). We get to see his emotions, his occasional sense of defeat as well as his sense of humor, his loneliness, his tears and his happiness, and above all, his never- say-die attitude. At times during the movie, I could hear sniffling in the audience, there was the occasional cheering and clapping - you don't generally get these reactions unless the audience is emotionally invested in the movie.
The movie belongs to Matt Damon; this doesn't take away from the fine performances of the other cast members. Jessica Chastain is in fantastic form (as always) as the commander battling with the aftermath of a decision. Sean Bean, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor have extremely well-written roles that are deserving of such fine actors.