The Martian Is Everything I Wanted Interstellar To Be

Few directors in Hollywood are as synonymous with the sci-fi genre as Ridley Scott.  He has created two Mt. Rushmore level sci-fi films (Alien and Blade Runner), and his recent return to the genre has been both compelling and refreshing.  Even the critically divided Prometheus is both a visual masterpiece and highly entertaining (to me, at least), and his most recent stab at the genre is his best film in years.  The Martian is a stunning (though rather safe) Hollywood blockbuster... and it's everything I wanted Christopher Nolan's Interstellar to be.

The Martian is fun, witty, charming, and downright thrilling... all while being completely aware of its limits and capabilities.  In contrast, Interstellar aimed to be a visual masterpiece (it was) and a smart sci-fi film.  And that is precisely why it failed.  Between repeated extended sequences on quantum theory and Matthew McConaughey somehow going back in time to deliver a monologue to his daughter so that she'll save the future, Interstellar become too smart for its own good.  The Martian delivers top notch thrills, while keeping the space science dialogue at a manageable level.  That's not to say it's a dumb film.  It just doesn't get crushed under its own self-importance.  The script is very well-written, and this film deserves all the accolades that are being showered on it.

The Martian stars Matt Damon (giving perhaps his best performance) as Mark Watney, a NASA botanist stranded on Mars after his team is forced to abandon their mission and he is presumed dead.  He ends up surviving a deadly sandstorm and now must learn to survive on the red planet with limited supplies.  As Watney says, he's "going to have to science the shit" out of his situation.  And boy does he!  The middle third of this movie is essentially Cast Away in space.  Watney does a series of trial and error sequences in order to survive.  Damon's star power really carries this movie.  Very few characters in Hollywood could carry this movie the way Damon does.  He is both charming and smart, and he truly shines.  Damon deserves all the accolades he is getting for this role.

Definitely check out this film.  It's a return to force for Ridley Scott and the best role of Matt Damon's illustrious career.