I myself would never want to typecast anybody against their will, but I did find myself  very glad to learn that in The Martian, Matt Damon gets to play the role of a hero once more. Having to ‘hate him’ in Interstellar (2014) proved more challenging than expected.

Directed by the rightfully celebrated Ridley Scott, and based on Andy Weir’s best selling book of the same name, The Martian is a predominantly Mars-based adventure with a sprinkle of funny moments.

As you might imagine, similar to Interstellar (2014), there’s a fair amount of ‘science speak’ in the film. Most of it I personally will probably never understand, but you don’t need to in order to have a good time. The movie works, thanks to the story and the likability of its star.

The thing I enjoyed most about The Martian is all the scientific problem solving that Damon’s character, astronaut Mark Watney and the wider NASA team do in the effort to bring him home in one piece. I like the movie for this reason and as a story of teamwork and survival. I’ll also confess to getting quite a kick from seeing the female commander, played by Jessica Chastain take charge.

You may have heard that a few awards bodies placed The Martian in the comedy category. About that, there are a few funny quips here and there – and by ‘a few’ I don’t mean ‘a good few’ in the way that some people use the phrase to mean ‘a lot’. I do actually mean ‘a few,’ meaning no more than 5 laughs/giggles at most – which, in my mind doesn’t equal to a comedy. But, hey, trust the studios to find loopholes so that their film gets a chance at an award.

Science fans will likely enjoy this movie most, but everyone else will be pleased also, for the topic of surviving on Mars is a relevant and interesting one at this time. With that said, watch it because it’s good. Another reason would be to find out for yourself whether categorising The Martian as a comedy is at all justified. I remain unconvinced.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Donald Glover, Sebastian Stan, Mackenzie Davis and Benedict Wong also star.

Happy Film Loving,

G