Definitely lives up to the hype and provides something unique

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2016)

The Martian is brilliant in the way its presented. Compared to something like Gravity it buries it because it blends a real feeling science fiction adventure with tons of scientific exploration but includes fun, crazy stunts and special effects and a script that is actually very mainstream with humour and plain dialogue which some fans apparently find off-putting. Some reviews said everything was great but the dialogue was silly and it is in a way but I liked that it was plain speak among this insane survival story that is ridiculous and plausible all at once. The performances and the direction of the film make you feel this could have happened.
The cast is very good and the starring role of the film is so well done that it carries the movie. I will say honestly that Matt Damon should have been Oscar nominated for his role just because he makes it believable and fun and scary and takes you on this adventure. Yes he gives the role a lot of different tones but I thought it worked perfectly. The supporting cast are really a lot of A-Listers playing his team that want to rescue him and those working to save him for different reasons including Jeff Daniels, Kristen Whig (who actually does a great job in a small but serious role), Jessica Chastain (one of my least favourite actresses but she was very tolerable in this), Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kata Mara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover (really liked his small but important role), Benedict Wong, and Aksel Hennie are the roles I thought were best performed in small doses. They kept the supporting characters unassuming but with enough charisma that they made a difference so they didn't feel underused but also didn't get in the way either.
The Martian is also so good due to the extreme talent of legendary Science Fiction directly Ridley Scott who really seems to work on pure passion. When he loves something he just completely immerses himself in it and brings it to life. You will feel like you are on Mars surviving with this guy and you will become so attached to him. Considering how long the movie covers the pacing is practically perfect and despite essentially being science fiction the special effects are fantastic and don't feel CGI heavy which is an accomplishment. The Martian is easily one of the best movies of 2015 and is unique considering it could have felt like rehashed material from films like Interstellar and Gravity but those both underwhelmed me whereas The Martian met and exceed my expectations so check it out and "science the sh%t out of this planet!!" 9/10