I saw The Martian and I liked it. I didn’t know what to expect from a Ridley Scott movie with Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars, so I didn’t read any reviews and watched the movie with no expectations. After a little over two hours, I left the cinema happy with the result, not feeling that the movie had wasted my time.
The film is not a typical Ridley Scott movie, do not expect anything close to Blade Runner or the Alien saga. Do not expect a space MacGyver – Jason Bourne type of hero, Matt Damon’s character is a brave and plucky botanist but still vulnerable. There are no villainous decision makers, knowingly jeopardising the stranded astronaut’s life because of expenses or public relations. There is no exaggerated pathos or suicidal heroism, and mother nature is not being overly mean, keeping the special effects guys busy.
I enjoyed the movie all the way through, there were no big highlights but there were also no artificial suspense moments or downers. There was a lot of hype about the scientific accuracy, I didn’t check, but it all seemed plausible and felt like a true story based on facts. The film received predominantly good reviews, with the negative ones mostly criticising its non-typical-Ridley-Scott nature, I even read someone criticizing the diversity and political correctness in the movie. If you don’t go to the movie with the wrong expectations, then it is a film worth watching.
