A good watch but in no way a science fiction masterpiece

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 2016)

The Martian is about a manned mission to Mars. Astronaut, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a deadly storm and is left behind by his crew (Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña). However, Watney survives the storm and must find a way to subsist and contact NASA.
The film was a good watch but is in no way a masterpiece of science fiction film. Ridley Scott is a master of suspense but unfortunately failed to deliver. The Martian was disappointing as it lacked emotion, excitement and suspense especially for a space action or science fiction film.
Given the talent within the cast, the film was destined for great performances, particularly those of Matt Damon and Chiwetel Ejiofor. For the remainder of the cast, I would of loved to see more character development. Though Matt Damon did an amazing job portraying his character, I felt he lacked seriousness given his situation of inevitable doom. The upbeat comedy was clever and enjoyable but felt it was overdone as it took away the dramatic and intense feeling the film should of had.
As expected with Ridley Scott films, the film itself is visually stunning. The Special effects and cinematography captured a realism of space but was overshadowed by the wondering spectacle of Gravity (2013) and Interstellar (2014).
A plus: Sean Bean doesn't die in this film!