A film about the Indefatigable Human Spirit!

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2015)

The Martian is a film about space travel & space exploration. It is a film about amazing technology & innovation.
But above all that, it is a film about the Indefatigable Human Spirit. When Mark Watney is left for dead on Mars, he uses every neuron of his ingenuity and every ounce of his skills to find ways to survive, communicate & eventually escape the planet. He does not stop to bemoan his fate. Instead he goes into high gear using all the skills that he has been trained for, to literally "Science the s... out of this"! Whether it is growing food, making water, finding the path finder & communicating -- all of it is done in a quiet, intelligent almost self- effacing manner.
On the Earth side, there is the same unwavering desire to rescue this man against all odds - time, money & even science! The band of scientists & engineers led by Vincent Kapoor show that same dogged spirit when they try everything in their power to pull off the most daring planetary rescue.
On the Hermes, when the crew realizes that their colleague is alive on Mars, they unanimously decide to go back and rescue him, knowing that it could be seen as mutiny and they could lose their entire career & even their life to this mission.
That is why, for me this film goes beyond science. It glorifies/typifies all the things that are good about the human race. It inspires and gives hope that good things can happen when we collectively put our hearts & minds into something.
Finally, this film would not be quite so amazing without the heroic performance by Matt Damon!! And he does all this with such grace and humor that you can't but help empathize & root for this "conqueror pirate"! In the scene right before he is rescued, he cries in sheer pain & relief that this ordeal is about to end, and you cry with him. When he jokes about being a pirate, you laugh with him. When he grows potatoes and calls himself the best botanist on the planet, you rejoice with him. That is the power of Matt Damon's Mark Watney. Truly an award winning, memorable performance that will be remembered for a long time.
The Martian is one of the best films I have seen in a long time.