The Martian: A bold movie going back to where man has gone before

Warning: Spoilers ahead, though you're going to ignore this warning because curiosity

Fall movies are not as monumental or spectacular as summer movies, but they compensate for emphasis on storytelling and character. Most of these fall movies are deeper compared to other seasonal films, and they often have the goal of attracting academy awards. Some are worthy of these awards, others are genuine stinkers.

The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott, is in line with the former. Based off of the Andy Weir novel of the same name, The Martian is the tale of an astronaut trying to survive on Mars after failing to evacuate during a storm. It features Matt Damon, having seen experience in a space oriented film in Interstellar, as well as Jeff Daniels; Sean Bean; Kristen Wiig; and Jessica Chastain.

The movie is about astronaut Mark Watney as he is stranded on Mars after a failed attempt at escaping during a storm. Using his knowledge of botany, he finds a way to grow food and survive longer until help arrives. The help in question comes from NASA, but back at NASA there's internal strife between members over how to maintain NASA's image. China eventually enters the fray, but they also debate on whether to help NASA with saving Watney. All the while Watney endures the perils of surviving on another planet and scavenges for supplies and equipment to hold out. Eventually, both NASA and China's Space Program work together to help bring Watney home alive and in one piece.

The movie stands out at how accurate it is with presenting what colonizing Mars would be like if a single person had to survive on the planet. It also portrays the politics of space program missions with deep intensity, as Jeff Daniels' character makes decisions based on maintaining NASA's image. It's also unique in that the film has a high degree of realism; there are no hostile aliens, rogue robots or androids, backstabbing or crazed humans, or anything of the sort. It's just an astronaut trying to get home.

The only issue is that some of the characters are not fully used in the film. While the story is about an astronaut trying to get home, the politics of the space programs also constitute importance. It's also the result of characters coming together to solve a problem that result in the conflict's resolution. The music score, while fitting, could have also used extra kick.

At the end of the day, it's the first good Ridley Scott film for the first time in years. It also marks a return to his science fiction roots, though calling this work science fiction is a bit of a stretch. This genre is better labeled as speculative fiction, about what could happen if a mission goes wrong and someone is forced to survived on another planet. That said, it's a sign of a director getting his groove back and showing that he can make good films once again. The Martian is also one of the finer films
to be released in a glut of sequel stagnation and mediocre adaptations. That is something that cannot be said for other films.