After the seeing the trailer, I was excited but not expecting something astonishing from the same man that has made masterpieces in the form of Gladiator, Blade Runner and Alien.
The movie definitely does not waste time in getting started and quickly sets up the main plot. From the very alert opening scene, we are now set in for a enjoyable, captivating and fairly straightforward survival story.
With all that in mind, it had very few moments of threat. But thankfully those times where it did provide it was unpredictable and kept you gripped to the story.
One thing that I definitely was not expecting was the high amounts of humor throughout and the disco soundtrack that managed to work. Thankfully, that is apparently quite faithful to the novel. It was nice to hear author Andy Weir take part in the screenplay as well as Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, The Cabin In The Woods).
What I also liked about it was the heavy detail in the Science of the story. It's accuracy and approval by Nasa is enough to tell how detailed it is within the writing.
The film may not be as detailed as the novel, but it definitely tells enough of it to tempt you into reading the book. The screenplay definitely ended up one being one of its strongest points. They manage to balance the peril of the situation and upbeat nature of the characters.
One guy that definitely knows how to portray humor in any situation is Matt Damon. Gone are the days of his Team America grilling. We have a highly successful and very popular actor. Damon's performance and the sharpness of the script really went hand-in-hand and it made never with the overall tone of survival.
Damon remains a hugely watchable actor and deserves anything that is coming to him.
For the supporting cast, everyone seemed pretty solid. Jeff Daniels portrayed a strong Nasa director that at times would feel like the villain. I always like anything Jessica Chastain does. I have become a huge fan of hers and her character as mission leader is great bit of casting. Sean Bean wonderfully bounced off every character and became a nice relief throughout. Chiwitel Ejiofor did a solid job and it was interesting to see Kristin Wiig be involved in by far one of her most serious roles.
One supporting actor that looks to have a bright future was Donald Glover. He definitely had a pleasant screen presence which was a nice surprise.
All in all, I would say this film was pretty good. Compared to other recent sci-fi's, it may not have the technical ambition of Gravity or the emotion of Interstellar. But this definitely is a good watch with a surprising amount of laughs.
The cinematography by Darius Wolski is gorgeous. Ridley Scott is well known for his practical effects and real set locations. He gave Wolski a lot of great landscapes and he definitely made the most of it.
The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is subtle but definitely has a tingly feeling to it. Gregson-Williams is not a composer that I have really taken notice of. When I look at the notable films that he has scored (Chicken Run, Shrek, Shrek 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), they were never any that I would go back and listen too apart from maybe one or two. But this latest score will definitely interest me.
It is clear to see that it is a mix of Apollo 13 and Cast Away. Like with all Ridley Scott features, the visuals are the biggest positive. The script and character development makes this a film worth watching multiple times. The pacing was fairly solid throughout. However, the duration felt a bit too long for me.
Nevertheless, this is still captivating viewing that is well written, has a great lead in Damon, never had me bored and is Scott's best film since probably American Gangster in 2007.
Rating: 8/10
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