The Martian

The Martian opened in theatres on October 2, 2015 and is based on the novel by Andy Weir. It is over two hours long so make sure you have some snacks with you. So, after a box of Mike and Ike candy and a bag of Twizzlers, here's what I thought. The storyline starts with a Mars mission which is already in progress. The main character Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, gets swept away in a sudden sand storm that kicks up after nightfall on the surface of Mars. The very first crisis has two parts; Mark goes missing, and the rest of the crew has to leave immediately to avoid getting stuck there. Everyone thinks Mark is dead, he is stranded on another planet and getting to him looks to be an insurmountable challenge. It is a survival story in space with all of the problems that one might expect on Mars. It was told with a sort of optimism and humor that doesn't always happen in serious storylines like these. The cinematography was brilliant. Obviously, no one has actually been to Mars, but the locations that stood in for it were well appointed. Everyone is probably going to say this after they see it, but I thought Matt Damon and the rest of the cast did a great job. The characters are portrayed with the confidence, spirit, and enthusiasm that I tend to associate with the ideas of astronauts and space travel. So, I obviously liked this one. It is completely worth the time and worthy of the hype that surrounds it.