"The Martian" packs great performances, visuals, and score even though it gets slow at times

Rating: 9/10 (29 November 2015)

"The Martian" 10/25/15
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Micheal Peña, and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Producer: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG-13
"The Martian", is directed by "Ridley Scott, the director of many marvelous movies such as the recent "Prometheus". Mr.Scott, has done it yet again with "Martian", a really fun and enjoyable Sci-Fi thriller. It stars Matt Damon as the man stuck on Mars after a terrible Ares mission. This movie is definite must see and you would probably never want it to end.
Mark Whatney (Damon), is left on Mars after a bad storm and a awful mission named Ares 3. His crew is certain of his death and reports it to NASA, the lead of the mission. It turns out that he really is alive, and he is making a living. The rest of the movie is about how he gets back home.
Now, let me say that this movie is around two and half hours. It's usually really hard to keep people engaged the whole time, but this movie does it perfectly. It has its own blend of science, comedy, and action, at the same time developing the plot. The screenplay and performances are amazing, and You can definitely say that Chiwetel is one of the best actors of our time. Not saying the pat Matt Damon isn't good, but his character is very plain and ordinary, even though he pulls of the smart-look very well and is mostly taken care of with CGI. The way that this movie is put together, edited, and executed is just fantastic, and it's really really engaging. The soundtrack in this movie is just amazing and keeps you very satisfied throughout the whole movie.
This movie albeit is very predictable and boring at some times, which is OK, considering that it is really long. Matt's humor really works well, and is absolutely spectacular when you need to relieve tension. This movie has a strong message that is given in a different and very amazing way. They show you survival, tension, and love. It is hard to understand at times, but you have to understand that Hollywood tried its best to make it super simple and understandable. Al of the science references were neat, and all the characters looked and behaved very sharp, except for Kate Mara who just struggled. Jeff Daniels in this movie doesn't really fit as the director of NASA and always reminds me of "Dumb and Dumber". Seeing him looks like a joke, and doesn't really fit the serious role at times.
The characterization and description for each character is very well done. You would really really care about the characters and worry about them, as if you were really dragged in to the movie. The CG is mind-blowing, even if there is a short resemblance to the Grand Canyon at many places. The shooting, setting, and character time placement is very well done and is surely not a miss.
After going through two-years of development hell, this movie definitely lives up to the hype and does justice. Ridley Scott, is the man for this movie even though he isn't as consistent. When seeing movies like "Exodus", you'll probably lose touch for him. But this movie is smart, executed well, sharp, and has some really really good performances. Like I said, it's really really hard to engage people in a movie for two and half hours, but this movie does that perfectly. "The Martian" should not be a miss, and is a visual- popcorn thriller treat for the audiences.
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