You'll finish The Martain with a smile on your face.

Rating: 8/10 (5 October 2015)

The Martian is an uplifting crowd pleaser that celebrates the power of knowledge and the human spirit.
Audiences clearly love their space epics as of late, with recent films like Gravity and Interstellar finding great success. What you'll find different about this year's hard sci-fi flick, The Martian, is it's pure optimism. Matt Damon gives us one of his best performances as Mark Watney, a witty and highly resourceful Astronaut who is mistakenly left behind on the red planet Mars. Throughout the film we experience Mark's journey of survival, having to rely on his scientific knowledge to overcome massive obstacles like growing food or gaining communication with NASA. Watching Damon tackle these challenges is genuinely good entertainment, hearing him think out loud and using science as his main tool of survival is a lot of fun. He's a likable character that you naturally want to root for. The surprisingly large supporting cast does an excellent job as well with notable turns from Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Jessica Chastain. What's most interesting is the main villain and in this film and how it isn't a person or a robot or an alien, it's time. The moment Damon and the team at NASA realize he's been stranded it's a constant race against the clock. When you're stranded on a desolate planet with very little supplies, every single day matters and that's where we find the tension. It's a well-crafted film thanks to its director Ridley Scott, a master at building worlds and showcases his ability by making Mars look believable and beautiful. Although the film starts to feel its length around the midway mark, it certainly makes up for it with a terrific climax.
Despite not being as gritty or thematically heavy as Gravity or Interstellar, The Martian exceeds in its storytelling. With top-notch performances, directing, and writing you will leave the theatre believing in the power of human perseverance and at the same time you'll be happy you're on Earth doing it.