During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
Matt Damon’s turn as a sardonic astronaut stranded on Mars anchors this lightweight survival tale but his star-studded colleagues are sorely underused.
It’s not iconic sci-fi to match Alien or Blade Runner but it is a topical, supremely crafted, intelligent, heartfelt spectacle with gallows humour to die for. Strap yourself in.
The Martian is popcorn entertainment but of the highest calibre.
Great escapist entertainment, especially on a huge screen with a bucket of popcorn in your lap and 3D glasses on your grinning face.
Anchored by another great turn from Matt Damon, The Martian mixes smarts, laughs, weird character bits and tension on a huge canvas. The result is Scott’s most purely enjoyable film for ages.
It works because it gets that audiences can handle the science.
Lacking the pared-down purity of Gravity and the emotional kick of Interstellar, to say nothing of the genre re-defining menace of Scott’s own Alien, the film becomes a little too goofy to really invest in the outcome.
The charm of The Martian turns out to be how down-to-earth it is.
Scott throws in enough eye-popping 3D spectacle and debunking humour to stop it from seeming too sanctimonious.
The Martian is still an entertaining space romp, beautiful looking and featuring a very appealing star turn from Damon.
Director Ridley Scott makes the most of an excellent script and a first-rate star for a scintillating sci-fi trip to the red planet.
Space experts challenge accuracy of The Martian
Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic starring Matt Damon is scientifically 'inaccurate' according to space experts
How scientifically accurate is The Martian?
General release. Check local listings for show times.