The Martian (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator)
	Actors:  Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity, Dogma), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), Kristen Wiig
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 12.04.2016, in-flight entertainment 10" screen
Synopsis: Mark Watney (Damon) is left for dead alone on Mars when his exploration team has to leave in an emergency.
Review: I was not expecting this movie when it went out, I hadn't heard about it. And I was not very motivated to watch it because first I didn't see how the movie could keep being interesting for two hours relying only on the performance of one actor. This is a difficult exercise, which was however well executed in the past by Tom Hanks in Cast Away for example. Then I thought the interest by the public in the red planet was passed since the close releases of Mission to Mars, Red Planet and Ghosts of Mars back in the early 2000's. The Martian reminds me most of the second because of the stranded explorer trying to come back home, but the comparison stops there especially since Ridley Scott's movie is much closer to what a real martian mission could be in the near future (although the cost of what is shown in the movie would be prohibitive). So the science looks good but what about the most critical element: the story revolving around the acting of Matt Damon? Well, I liked it. We focus a lot on his character of course but it doesn't get boring thanks to funny monologues and the determination Damon manages to inject in the character. Moreover we get to spend maybe 20% of the movie with the team on Earth or on the rescue ship which makes some welcome breaks. It is a pity that I watched the movie on a very small screen so I cannot comment on the quality of the special effects or the beauty of the martian landscapes. Ridley Scott managed once more to deliver a reference movie in its genre. After Gravity and Interstellar, does the release of The Martian mean that exploration of the solar system is trendy again?
Rating: 7 /10