Mark Watney; Space Pirate!

Rating: 9/10 (16 January 2016)

The Martian is a movie adaptation by Ridley Scott (Exodus: Gods and Kings, Before I Go to Sleep), based on the self-published book of the same name by Andy Weir.
Mark Watney's crew - Melissa Lewis; Jessica Chastain (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, Zero Dark Thirty), and Rick Martinez; Michael Peña (End of Watch, 30 Minutes or Less) among others, have to leave Mars during a Martian storm. Thinking Mark is dead, they leave him behind. However, after the crew has left the planet, Mark regains consciousness and is now faced with a race against time for survival. Knowing he has only a quarter of the supplies needed until the next mission to Mars, he has to ration and find ways to survive on a planet that is seen as uninhabitable.
As the main actor, Mark; Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity, The Adjustment Bureau), does a thoroughly good job in keeping you hooked. The dialogue is mainly one sided, with Mark communicating through his web-cam, over a chat program and aloud to himself, or even in his head.
Obviously, never having visited Mars, but having seen the images in the news sent back from the Mars Rover amongst others. The terrain in the film looks surprisingly real, and makes you believe you really are on Mars when watching it.
But, lovers of Comedy, don't be fooled by The Martian's recent win of a Golden Globe for 'Best Comedy'! This film has some funny moments, (Spoiler alert!:) when, for example, Mark almost sets his crop and himself on fire when trying to grow food. However, The Martian is by no means a comedy film.