Who knew solving problems on Mars could be so fun?

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2016)

Sound: 2/2 Harry Gregson-Williams' effervescent, electronic score evokes the protagonist's diligence, wonderment, and loneliness (perhaps more effectively than the script).
Acting/Characterization: 1/2 Matt Damon takes his snarky act to Mars, where he plays a different kind of Mann. The role of Watney suits him, and everyone else is affable and strong under pressure. Their good humor is of the blockbuster variety, but I like the characters' resolute focus and pragmatism. I am glad the film did not resort to cheap histrionics, which would have undermined the credibility of someone likely trained and selected to withstand great mental and physical stress.
Script/Writing: 1/2 The one-liners are standard Hollywood cheese, but the absence of maudlin backstories and unnecessary romance is refreshing. In The Martian, egalitarian enthusiasm for solving problems apparently prevails over international differences and agency hierarchies, and I suppose I have no reason to reject such a happy fantasy even if some of the flippant exchanges between the scientists and directors at NASA are hokey. Also, the script could have been less obvious by implying rather than dictating the theme via Watney's speech at the end.
Visuals: 2/2 It's a Ridley Scott film; of course Mars is gorgeous.
Concept (Plot/Theme): 1.5/2 I haven't read Weir's book, but I love the "MacGyver on Mars" idea, though the film's surprisingly positive tone lowers the stakes. The audience is meant to respect Watney's ingenuity, not worry for him, so survival seems less perilous and uncertain than conditions on Mars might suggest.
Total: 7.5/10
Gut Feeling: 7/10 The Martian is a fun adventure that celebrates science, space exploration, and the collective agency of analytical minds at the cost of dramatic tension and a truer portrait of how difficult such endeavors can be.
Final Average: 7.25