Stranded on Mars when his comrades are forced to cut their mission short, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is four years away from rescue in a base meant to last three months. Lucky there’s plenty of disco to listen to. Director Ridley Scott’s gripping adaptation of Andy Weir’s page-turning novel doesn’t focus quite so much on explaining Watney’s survival science, but it still provides the Robinson Crusoe-esque thrill of seeing someone turn a hostile environment into home (kind of) through sheer brainpower.
A strong focus on the NASA team back home (featuring Jeff Bridges, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Donald Glover) and the returning crew members (including Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena and Kate Mara) as they also try to think up a rescue plan means that Watney’s isolation – the only emotional angle to this plot-driven tale – rarely comes across with any strength. But Damon’s performance picks up the slack: playing a relentless optimist and joke-cracker with maximum charm, he makes sure those brief moments where his façade cracks hit hard.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris