The Martian (2015)

 “I don’t want to come off as arrogant here, but I’m the greatest botanist on this planet.” – Mark

Number of Times Seen – 1 (11 Dec 2015)

Brief Synopsis – After an explosion causes the rest of his crew to presume he has died, an astronaut is stranded on Mars and must use his intelligence and wit in order to survive on the desolate planet until a rescue mission can arrive.

My Take on it – This is a perfect example of a film where one actor can make or break it depending on whether we believe what he is going through.

Matt Damon carries this film with both his charisma and his comedic timing.

Although this isn’t an outright comedy per se, the humorous tone is perfectly used to help ‘lighten’ the mood of a seemingly hopeless situation.

The message here about weighing the needs of the many against the needs of the few is a very poignant one even now in our real world.

It’s actually ironic at the similarity between the themes here as the ones in Saving Private Ryan (1998) since Damon plays such a pivotal role in both movies regarding saving one man at the risk of many others.

It’s even more apparent a theme here in Israel since the Hebrew title translates into “Saving Mark Watney”.

I am happy to say that Ridley Scott has once again returned to form and manages to direct this movie expertly. That says a lot after some of his recent failures.

The supporting cast were all chosen extremely well and they help make us believe this movie can/could really happen.

Bottom Line – Great film that is totally carried by Damon’s comic timing and charisma. Scott is once again back in form here and it’s easy to forget the bombs he has made over the years. Supporting cast is perfectly cast and they help make this story feel believable. Highly recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – As Beck is about to take a dangerous trip outside the Hermes, Beth tells him to be careful because “In space…”, an unfinished quote of the famous tagline (“In space, no one can hear you scream”) from director Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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