The Martian

Hollywood is on a roll with space-themed films, it seems. With Gravity and Interstellar under its helm, and Star Wars on the way, it seems that we've finally come back to an era where space gives us some of the best storytelling around. So, it would be logical that this film would fit right in nice and snug.

The Martian is a 2015 science-fiction thriller directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, and Donald Glover. It follows the story of astronaut botanist Mark Watney (Damon) who is stranded on Mars after a storm seemingly kills him after his crew escapes the planet. However, he is obviously not dead, and is now left to survive through various different scientific means while the people on Earth as well as the rest of his crew are desperately trying to find out how to get him back home while suffering through major setbacks and incidents.

This movie is beautiful, just in the same way as Interstellar and Gravity. Each panning shot is beautifully crafted, from the shots on the ground of Mars, to the space shots of both Earth and Mars. They all create an atmosphere that makes the audience feel like they're actually there. I think Ridley Scott's genius shows profusely in this movie, and it's great to see he's back to being his best. It has an amazing ensemble of cast, all of which have such great chemistry. I think one of the outstanding performances is probably Jeff Daniels, someone I've never really paid attention to until recently, and I'm glad I am. Also, Michael Peña, I want to see more of you...damn, you're fun.

You know, I really want to go more in depth on this film about various scenes that I just loved, that gave me feelings of exhilaration and such but it's midnight as of writing this and I don't want to spoil too much. But what I can say is that everything about this movie matches the hype. If you love sci-fi stuff, you have to see this movie. I'm going to give The Martin 5 out of 5 stars because it's probably one of the best things I've seen, and it feels like a bit of a refresh out of this slump.

BTW: I'm trying to get out of the slump I've been in lately. I've had a few medical problems, but they're slowly receding, and it's giving me an opportunity to see more newer movies rather than just Bond movies over and over. Those will still come, though, as Spectre is merely a month away. I also might start some new series's about various things including favorite movies and underrated gems, so keep a look out.