Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, American Gangster, Gettysburg, The Andromeda Strain, Blade Runner, Hannibal) and starring Matt Damon (Invictus, Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Interstellar, The Bourne Identity, Ocean's Eleven), Jessica Chastain (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Equilibrium, GoldenEye, Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Kinky Boots, American Gangster, Children of Men) and Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, Dumb & Dumber, Looper, Pleasantville).
Action thriller, 141 mins, 12+
Left for dead on the surface of Mars following a manned space mission that is forced to evacuate when a violent storm threatens their base camp, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) must utilise all his survival instincts to survive until he can be rescued. But, firstly, his crew think he's dead and he has no way of communicating with Nasa on Earth, or does he? The trailer shows him growing potatoes, which he does achieve, but not all is plain sailing. He must think about his energy resources and food supplies, as well as water and communication.
As the film is set on Mars, the spaceship containing the other astronauts and on Earth, this could not be compared to Cast Away or, for that matter, Interstellar or even Gravity, for all different reasons. And this is not a space film either. While it is set in space (mainly on Mars), it is a gripping drama-cum-thriller with enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seats - particularly the space-walks near the end of the film. In many ways it shares similarities with the US tv series MacGyver, given astronatut Mark Watney's propensity for, and mastery of, improvisation.
He fights the odds in the inhospitable environment and draws upon his intellect and resources to survive. While the premise of the rescue mission is most improbable, the thought processes that are portrayed on screen are well thought out and make for great entertainment. With Mark Watney recording a video diary the audience can feel what he is going through as if they are there with him, sharing his humour and pain in equal doses.
An excellent production, very different from Interstellar and Gravity, with Ridley Scott back to his very best.
