The Space Drama Phenomenon

Rating: 8/10 (2 October 2015)

It seems the fascination with tragedy in space has reached an apex with the release of three highly anticipated "outer" space dramas in the last three years: Gravity, Interstellar, and now The Martian. Let me start off by saying that the Martian resembles both films in its content, but its delivery is quite different than the other two. It's all about ACTION. It's not long before the film starts that the main problem of the story is presented: Mark Watney is left alive on Mars. The rest of the film focuses on Mark's astuteness on the desolate planet while the folks at NASA scramble, to find a way to bring home before he runs out of food and water. My grade? 8, because it's not anything audiences familiar with the genre haven't seen before. It is delivered with first class acting, that's a given considering the all-star cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, and that dude with the blonde hair from National Treasure. Not to mention the directorial talents of Ridley Scott. If you're bored, go see it. If you're not, wait for the next space adventure. It should be just as good.