Amazing, visually stunning gift from Ridley Scott

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2015)

From director Ridley Scott, the amazing visionary behind the sci-fi classics such as Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), and Promtheus (2012), comes any visual stunning science fiction survival flick with splendid visuals and superb storytelling. Matt Damon plays astronaut Mark Watney whose team is sent on a mission to Mars. The mission goes terribly wrong when an intense dust storm hits and Watney is hit with debris and presumed dead by his team. Before too long, Watney wakes up and reveals to be alive, but is now stranded alone on a deserted planet . Watney must put his skills and intelligence to the test in order to survive, while NASA and his team work together to rescue him and bring him back home. This involves planting crops with Mars soil to grow a yearly supply of food. This film features the talented cast of Jessica Chastain, Kristin Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Upon seeing the trailer, I was quite excited for this movie. This is the best science-fiction I've seen since last year's Interstellar. This film runs for two hours and 21 minutes, but Ridley Scott always keeps it captivating from start to finish. There is very rarely a dull moment if any. Matt Damon's character Mark Watney manages to reduce the intense atmosphere with his optimistic and sarcastic attitude, spitting out hilarious one-liners here and there. In the trailer, he presented some of the most clever one-liners such as "I'm gonna need to science the s**t out of this" and "In your face Neil Armstrong", probably some of the best lines I've heard in a long time. So the film carries a comedic undertone to it in the amidst of the seriousness. The supporting characters have their witty moments of hilarity as well. The performances by Damon and the rest of the cast were pretty solid and deserve big thumbs up.
The visual effects and cinematography are the biggest attention grabbers here. With Wadi Rum Valley in Jordan serving as a backdrop of Mars, audience are treated with the most realistic depiction of Mars ever shown in cinema. With the red-tinted saturation and lighting, it gives them the look like the film is actually shot in The scenes set in outer space are quite eye-popping. Another delightful aspect is the storytelling. Unlike most sci-fi films where there is a frequent sense of urgency, this film carries a very hopeful tone and the characters remain optimistic about their goals to save the main character after he gets stranded on a planet where no life exists (yet!). While it may disappoint some due to the lack of surprise elements, it stays very human-like and engrossing to where it keep the audience glued to their seats.
The Martian is a must-see for all sci-fi fans, and perhaps everyone else. Matt Damon is amazing in this and the story never disappoints. I believe this film has some Oscars on the way for Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematopgraphy (possibly Best Sound editing). Have a theater near you? Go see this!