The movie should be counted as a comedy (or dramedy) or it isn't very good.

Rating: 10/10 (27 February 2020)

I love this film. I love its optimism. I love its romantic view of how science-untouched and uninterested in politics!-works. I love that the film thinks people would be interested in space travel. I love the film's technical aspects creating a believable series of engineering feats that even look good to the eye. But I love the film as a light piece of scientific romance. It is not an intense exploration of the issues. It is not a drama.
The film sort of infamously won the best picture-comedy at the Golden Globes. I saw it after that happened and I was really surprised anyone had the problem with the classification. The film is extremely funny. It has running gags. It has puns. It has multiply asides that are only in the film because they are funny. Most of the actors have comedic backgrounds. But most of all the central plot largely exists to hang wonderment and scientific romance on.
Watney's death was only ever theoretical in the film. It was never a real possibility. The film repeatedly undermines the central tension with jokes. I think the film does this to focus the viewer on the engineering/science issues. The plot is faintly a little absurd in how the developments happen. Watney experiences all manners of set backs but, critically, they never ever seem more than he can handle; they are solved in fun ways. There's even a duck tape joke. This is a wonderful structure for a movie having fun with the engineering and the speculation of how a mars mission would work. Even in the film's darkest moments are tempered with optimism. Even as Watney fears his death and he is still at peace with it because he loves what he does. This tone works and the film is lovely as a result. But if you say the film is a drama it is too detached from Watney's possible death to work. The tension is never on if Watney will survive. It is on *how* Watney will survive and that makes it a scientific romance, not a drama.
Damon is wonderful in this film. Indeed this is such a well put together and everything works so well that it is a personal favorite of mine.