Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MARS — October includes some releases we're looking forward to like "Bridge of Spies," "Our Brand is Crisis," "Pan" and "Crimson Peak." While I'm excited about October and what it has on the horizon, I think I may have already seen the best movie the month has to offer.
This Friday sees the release of "The Martian" and it may be the best film of 2015 so far.
The film is an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel of the same name and stars Matt Damon under the direction of Ridley Scott.
I want to make sure not to give anything away to those of you who don't know much about the story, because the less you know going in the better. What I will do is share with you some of the reasons "The Martian" is a great a movie and the kind of flick we've been waiting to see from Ridley Scott for several years.
Matt Damon
In the novel "The Martian" author Andy Weir created a character that is one of the most likable and relatable lead characters of any book I've ever read. As I read the book I kept thinking to myself, "Who could do this character justice on the big screen?" Well, let's just say this, Matt Damon was born to play the role of Mark Watney.
Watney is a brilliant astronaut/botanist, yes it's a weird combo, but he's witty, relatable, vulnerable and funny. Damon hits all of these attributes square on the head in the film and you love watching him on screen.
Smart
I don't want to get into details in an effort to avoid any spoilers whatsoever, but this is an incredibly smart film. Weir's source material is well researched and well planned and Drew Goddard's script is no different.
Equations and farming may sound boring, but when it's presented in the way it is in "The Martian" it's fascinating and entertaining.
Supporting cast
Damon is undoubtedly the star of "The Martian," but an incredible supporting cast that steals their fair share of scenes surrounds him.
Some of the standouts include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain and Michael Pena. The one who you'll fall in love with, however, is the small role from "Community" alum Donald Glover. You won't be able to take your eyes off him whenever he's on screen.
Conclusion
"The Martian" is a real surprise of a film that gets better as the days go on. As soon as the credits rolled I knew this was a really great film, but after it stuck with me for a few days I realized it's one of the best — if not the best — of 2015 so far.
"The Martian" is a PG-13 film that is meant for a more mature audience, but it could also have the opportunity to inspire a new generation to get into science and problem solving. To find out more about that you can take a look at the parents' review of the film coming from Travis Poppleton.
John has been writing about movies, news, sports and pretty much anything awesome for more than five years. John is the co-host of the Flix Junkies podcast and will always entertain you with his stories.
