Matt Damon or Iron Man?

Rating: 4/10 (12 October 2015)

This film seemed to have all the right ingredients - Ridley Scott, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, together with a classic Sci-Fi premise - isolation on an uninhabitable planet. Maybe it would provide the suspense and anguish of Moon? Maybe the consciousness bending intensity of Intersetllar? Or perhaps it would be something totally unexpected? Well, turns out it WAS something totally unexpected. It was a bad re-make of Apollo 13, apparently sponsored by all of America's favourite clichés. Despite being rated higher than 2001 Space Odyssey on IMDb (thanks to the ever enlightened opinion de publique) the Martian is little more than just another blockbuster feel-good fest.
There are some exciting moments and on the whole the film is well directed, except perhaps for a bizarre obsession Scott seems to have with getting an astronaut in zero gravity to float backwards diagonally between two rooms, which was as confusing as it was pointless. But after a good start, an interesting premise and an hour and a half of the same series of events repeating themselves over and over, I began to empathise strongly with Damon's feelings of perpetual boredom.
After the plot comes around for about the third circle of the same thing the movie shifts gears, as if it realised it was going nowhere, and instead becomes something reminiscent of a 'GO-USA!' cheer-leading squad provided to you by coca-cola.
Then, finally, after what seems like a year on Mars we are handed a big slice of USA self-congratulatory indulgence, based on the idea that science can solve everything and the human spirit of ingenuity conquers all and stereo-typical genius geeks are always socially awkward and even China loves America and blah, blah, blah, etc.
Damon's character is left largely in the realm of a two dimensional marvel comic hero, with some almost funny quips, and the other characters seem little more than simply 'home of the brave' slogan spouting vehicles. Even during the end credits we're served yet more feel good factor melodrama, just in case we didn't get it yet.
From the man who directed Blade Runner this is a huge disappointment, but if you want some light entertainment that's over 2 hours long then go see The Martian.