A stunning comeback to Ridley Scott, Damon heads up a stellar cast

Rating: 7/10 (2 October 2015)

Don't you dare say this movie is a sequel to Interstellar. Don't you dare say it rode in on Interstellar's coat tails. This movie is so much better than Interstellar its not funny. Actually no, this movie is funny. But I'll get back to that.
This movie is about Matt Damon and boy did I love him in it. He carried all of the dramatic scenes and the lighter moments as well. I could easily have seen Mark Watney as a grown-up version of Will Hunting, and I do believe its Damon's finest work since that star-making film. I found him to be a believable and likable character to spend most of the film with.
Its taken me a while to get used to Ridley Scott, but I grew to love him after appreciating Thelma and Louise and American Gangster. The Martian is a terrific directorial achievement for Scott, who has been in dire need of a comeback film for some time. Just like Damon, he handles both the lighter and more dramatic moments very well and the film's pacing is almost flawless. I was surprised at how much of the story we got through in the first hour but I couldn't fault it. Similarly, when lamenting some of the changes from the book I sat there thinking "if they did that scene though, it would feel out of place". That's a rare way for me to feel, and Scott did a hell of a job. An unfortunate consequence of some of Watney's major obstacles in the book being removed is that the film as a whole is relatively uneventful, but again, Scott balances that by keying the drama in other scenes to a fever pitch. It compensates well. The film's climax is beautifully constructed, and if you didn't want to cheer at the film's conclusion you're either flat out lying to me or you're a snob.
This was one of my most anticipated casts of the year, featuring about four or five of my favourite actors. I said it was perfect casting and it pretty much was, with Daniels, Ejiofor, Chastain, Mara and Bean all delivering just as I had hoped they would. Chastain benefits from a built up character, whilst Bean's feels a bit watered down compared to his book counterpart. Again, the compensation works for the most part.
Drew Goddard's screenplay keeps a lot of the heart and wit and science from Andy Weir's novel, but a little too much of it got cut for me to call it perfect (especially the science!). There was also a noticeable chunk of time where we cut back to Watney on Mars and I thought "wow, we haven't seen you in a while." But Scott comes to Goddard's rescue with a couple of glorious scenes that didn't make it into the book - namely when an emaciated Watney covered in scabs emerges from the shower, a stark contrast to the bulky guy we saw strip down at the start. I also found a tacked on ending to be a bit schmaltzy, especially the resolution of Mara and Sebastian Stan's 4-second romance. That would've been the first thing on the chopping board if I'd adapted the book.
Technically - its a marvel. Sound, visuals - ace across the board. We all know Ridley Scott can do space, but boy, Ridley Scott can do SPACE! Move over Gravity, I just found my new favourite space tether scene!
I'm happy to report that The Martian is the best kind of adaptation. Its one that I can enjoy as its own entity. Sure it changes things, but it makes up for them elsewhere. Its more eventful than Gravity and less pretentious than Interstellar. Who'd have thought it would take Ridley Scott to get third time's the charm?