The Martian (12A)
Directed by Ridley Scott
4/5

THE timing of The Martian’s release could not have been more perfect, with the news this week that there could be life on Mars following the discovery of flowing water.

So, just plain luck or a stroke of marketing genius?

Who knows, but certainly after Prometheus, The Counsellor and Exodus this is the best film Ridley Scott has made in at least 15 years.

Based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel it stars Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney who, presumed dead, gets left behind on the red planet by his crew, led by Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain).

While Nasa and the world mourn Watney’s demise, giving him a much-publicised commemorative funeral, he is in a race against time to stay alive until the next mission to Mars in four years’ time.

Being a botanist and an engineer, he vows to “science the shit” out of the place as he embarks on growing potatoes, making his own water — possibly now a redundant exercise — and finding a way to contact Earth.

Once they learn the truth, it turns into a PR nightmare for Nasa boss Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) and head of PR (Kristen Wiig) as a team of international scientists work together to get their man home.

This is very much a survivor’s problem-solving film, a Robinson Crusoe in space, featuring a stellar cast who are all given enough screen time to prove their worth, including minor characters too.

Despite its sombre scenario The Martian is surprisingly witty, with a fabulously cheesy disco soundtrack which is at the core of a hilarious running gag. Yet it is completely gripping, thanks to the breathtaking cinematography — Jordan’s Wadi Rum doubles up for Mars’s inhospitable terrain — and superlative performances, notably from Damon as the optimistic Watney.

But at its heart The Martian is about a human being having to rely on his ingenuity, wits and spirit to survive. It’s science is plausible, in contrast to Interstellar and Gravity.

Damon has described it as a love letter to science and I would add the humble potato too, despite the blight it suffers in the film.

Wonderfully enjoyable and it certainly renews certainly faith in Scott as a top-drawer director.