Critics rating : 4 Stars

Cast :  Matt Damon, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain

Direction : Ridley Scott

Produced : Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Aditya Sood, Mark Huffam.

Written : Drew Goddard

Genre : Science Fiction

Duration : 141 Mins

Gravity swept almost all the Academy Awards when it released. Interstellar was a treat for Nolan fans. This would have been a near-impossible line-up to top (or be on par with) but Ridley Scott does just that with the poignant, sweet and sharp-witted tale of survival.

A manned mission of Ares III on Mars’ Acidalia Planitia plain goes awry during a terrible storm where astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead as the rest of the crew flees to safety. The entire team is guilt-stricken, most particularly Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain), who believes that she could have tried harder.

As the ensuing chaos and the terrible storm settles, Mark clambers out of the sand dunes, critically low on oxygen and wounded. He staggers back to the habitat they had created on Mars, calculating his supplies which will diminish before any form of rescue comes his way.

Mark makes the most radical and resolute of decisions – he will cultivate his food and manufacture his water (“I do know the recipe”) using his knowledge of botany until help arrives. “I am gonna have to science the shit out of this”, he says and science it he does, even as astronomical and atmospherical challenges lurk at every corner. All this while he is 50 million miles away from home and four years before the next Ares team will touch base on the planet.

Meanwhile on Earth, NASA is in a tizzy with a public relations disaster on having established contact with the presumed dead astronaut. Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels), NASA director, is willing to send supplies to the marooned man and little else. Mitch Henderson (Sean Bean) and Vincent Kapoor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) would rather utilise more radical methods to bring him home. That is when Donald Glover’s cameo-ish appearance as Rich Purnell, whose idea is a potential suicide mission, comes into play. It is a clash of practicality and moral ethics, the life of one versus the lives of many.

The Martian is a difficult story to tell but manages to keep the narrative and the layers together with its upbeat tone and tense moments. Thank goodness for Drew Goddard who keeps it constant without getting existential or ponderous like the aforementioned space movies. It is also the optimistic look at the triumph of the human spirit and of selflessness in the face of a greater cause.

The Martian lacks the sense of awe with the universe that Gravity and Interstellar brought to the table with some stunning vistas. Also, Mark’s character is a trooper, who remains determined throughout. We never really see him lose his cool or miss his parents back home, except for a brief scene with Commander Lewis. It takes away from the emotional depth of the character, but those are slim drawbacks to a film that is immensely engaging and will keep you interested throughout.

A remarkable survivalist story with a compelling ensemble cast holding it together, The Martian is your best bet this weekend for a mandatory watch on the big screen.