It's Hard Not to Like This Movie!!

Rating: 9/10 (29 January 2016)

I opted not to see "The Martian" when it first hit theaters some months ago. Sure, I heard at the time that it was good, but how good could it possibly be? It looked like someone just took the cast of "Interstellar" and mixed that movie's plot with "Cast Away".
Well, it turns out that's not quite accurate. Instead someone took the cast of Interstellar and threw them into a plot that is a mix of Cast Away and "Apollo 13". Yes, if one is to be quite picky, there's only so much originality here--or at least that's true as far as the overarching narrative of this film is concerned. If you've seen the two latter movies, you basically can figure out the plot of, "The Martian".
Still, what I didn't reckon with is that both "Cast Away" and "Apollo 13" are each extraordinary movies--and as such, this movie, which emulates each of the two in its own way, is a likewise extraordinary film.
Again, it is unfortunate that basically the exact same cast that appeared in the "2001"-inspired "Interstellar" sci fi flick a year or two back are all featured prominently here in this film (Matthew McConaughey the one notable exception). As such, at times it almost feels like you've seen the movie before--Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain get lost in space, we get it.
Still, the reality is that as much as I want to nitpick at this movie, I just can't really throw anything out there that really greatly takes away from the film. It's just simply well made and fun. Yes, the film's climax is a bit overdone (this time channeling "Gravity" more so than "Apollo 13"), but all in all there's just too much to enjoy here to be truly critical. Indeed, having seen all the Oscar nominees for Best Picture now except "The Revenant" (saving the best for last, perhaps), I'd have to say that this may be my favorite film out of the lot.
I'm demoting the one star for the reasons listed above, but all in all this movie is fantastic. 9/10 stars!