Ridley Scott’s 2015 Sci-Fi Masterpiece Deserves Another Watch

Ridley Scott is lauded as one of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers, with the decorated director delighting audiences for decades with his spellbinding storytelling and highly focused visuals. In 2015, Scott enlisted the talents of popular leading man Matt Damon to headline his epic sci-fi film The Martian, an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel that chronicles an astronaut’s courageous battle to survive on Mars after he is accidentally left behind during a mission and is forced to rely on his ingenuity to communicate with his team back on Earth.

With the additional talents of stars like Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, and Kristen Wiig, the sweeping sci-fi masterpiece was met with both critical and commercial acclaim and went on to become Scott’s highest-grossing project so far, grossing over $630 million worldwide and earning seven Academy Award nominations. In the decade since its sensational debut, The Martian has continued to captivate moviegoers with its immersive cinematography and awe-inspiring premise, and you can now relive the cinema hit in all its glory now that the film is available for streaming on Netflix.

Scott & Damon Make Movie Magic with ‘The Martian’

20th Century Fox

Ridley Scott is never one to do things on a small scale when it comes to his endless cinematic ventures, with the visionary director being the mastermind behind classics like Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and Gladiator. Scott’s films have grossed a cumulative $5 billion worldwide, making him one of the industry’s most profitable figures, and he further cemented his status as a Hollywood legend with the sci-fi extravaganza The Martian. The film tells the heart-racing tale of mechanical engineer and botanist Dr. Mark Watney (Damon), who tragically becomes stranded on Mars after his team presumed he was dead.

A million miles away from Earth and completely alone on a hostile planet, Watney must rely on his resourcefulness and fighting spirit to survive and communicate to his team that he is still alive. Faced with dwindling supplies and no way to get around, Watney relies on his botanist knowledge to create a food source for himself and uses a video diary to document his day-to-day thoughts. Believing his only way of being rescued is on his team’s next Mars mission four years out, Watney makes it his mission to survive his terrifying predicament while his devoted NASA team work tirelessly to stage their own daring rescue attempt.

‘The Martian’ Features Damon in a Powerhouse Performance

20th Century Fox

Scott went to painstaking lengths to ensure that The Martian was as realistic and scientifically accurate as possible, with the director and producer Mark Huffam contacting NASA for their expertise on space and space travel; the agency ultimately decided to help Scott properly depict the technology and science featured in the film as a way to positively promote space exploration. In fact, NASA collaborated more with The Martian than they had on most other space-themed movies, with Newsweek reporting at the time, “Staff from many NASA departments consulted on the film, from script development through principal photography.”

Few actors have the power to carry a film of The Martian’s magnitude by himself, yet Damon’s deeply compelling portrayal of the earnest and determined Mark Watney is undeniably one of the leading man’s finest. Damon’s solo scenes were shot for five weeks straight with Scott since the sci-fi epic depicted his character being stranded and alone on Mars, and it is his undeniable charisma and vulnerability that kept audiences riveted throughout the film’s 142-minute runtime. It’s no wonder that Damon rightfully earned an Academy Award nod for Best Actor for his powerhouse performance and took home the Golden Globe for the same category. The New Yorker said of Damon:

“Damon has never seemed more at home than he does here, millions of miles adrift. Would any other actor have shouldered the weight of the role with such diligent grace?”

When The Martian premiered on October 2, 2015, audiences were wondrously transported to the endless abyss of space and joined Damon on his heart-pounding battle to survive and keep his sanity while stranded and alone on Mars. The big screen adaptation dominated the box office and went on to rake in $630.6 million worldwide, defying financial expectations and becoming the tenth-highest-grossing release of the year. Scott’s sharp approach to directing, Drew Goddard’s refreshing screenplay, and The Martian’s gorgeous cinematography helped make the film a critical triumph as well, nabbing a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The Martian would go on to garner seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and was named as one of the top ten movies of the year by both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review. Damon himself called the experience of filming the sci-fi hit “so different from anything I’d ever done before,” while adding that “the movie celebrates that pioneer spirit” that NASA has in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine. The Oppenheimer star further praised Scott for his brilliance and remarkable vision, saying:

“I never would’ve considered doing it had it not been for a world-class director. It’s a very risky thing to do, but I had faith in Ridley being able to strike the right tone for it.”

Release Date

October 2, 2015

Runtime

2h 24m

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