Best movie of this year hands down!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Although there is room for improvement, this movie hits well on all cylinders. People need to accept their will never be a perfect movie, which is why I gave this one such high marks. Two movies I consider a 10 are Titanic and Avatar. There are more but these are two examples of my version of a 10,The Martian provides an excellent blend of drama, sci-fi, and comedic moments that are not over the top. The casting was great with the exception of a few roles. There were a few space scenes that are a total farce, but overall they did capture the essence of what it will take to go to Mars.My rating is actually a toss up between 8 and 9 stars.

The first hour is interesting and engaging but the plot starts to tail off after 90 minutes and the final hour is dull and irritating. The attempts at humourous scenes fall flat and detract from the tension which has been building. Ditto the choice of music - as if 2001 A Space Odyssey had used Priscilla Queen of the Desert for its soundtrack. Ultimately, this film seems to be confused about what it wants to be. It starts out as a gripping thriller but then turns into something weirdly light-hearted. A pity, it showed promise but didn't deliver.

Generally the movie was good....lots of quasi-science which, although improbable, didn't stretch the bounds too far but the ending......really? We're supposed to believe that the rocket nose....in order to save weight, jettisons the hard cap and replaces it with....wait for it....CANVAS. If you do the math, the only speed quoted, which is BEFORE the maximum thrust, converts to about 2600 kilometers per hour. Now I've put my arm out the window at about 150 KPH and had the hair nearly blown off so I'm pretty sure 2600 KPH is more than a little improbable. Since the entire movie is predicated on hoping we will believe at least some of the science why couldn't they have just picked a smaller number to reduce it which didn't entail removing all the windows and the nosecone 'cause I'm pretty sure they'd be necessary at 2600 KPH....just saying.

Excellent film: the science is accurate, the acting is solid, and the film carries an emotional depth that previous reviewers, who have been panning it, seem to have missed (but maybe they're not used to films where spaceships DON'T make noise in the vacuum in space and the audience actually has to think). One of Ridley Scott's best films.