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Is 'The Martian' worth your time?
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Matt Damon portrays the titular hero in THE MARTIAN. - photo by John Clyde
MARS October includes some releases were looking forward to like Bridge of Spies, Our Brand is Crisis, Pan and Crimson Peak. While Im excited about October and what it has on the horizon, I think I may have already seen the best movie the month has to offer.

This Friday sees the release of The Martian and it may be the best film of 2015 so far.

The film is an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel of the same name and stars Matt Damon under the direction of Ridley Scott.

I want to make sure not to give anything away to those of you who dont know much about the story, because the less you know going in the better. What I will do is share with you some of the reasons The Martian is a great a movie and the kind of flick weve been waiting to see from Ridley Scott for several years.

Matt Damon

In the novel The Martian author Andy Weir created a character that is one of the most likable and relatable lead characters of any book Ive ever read. As I read the book I kept thinking to myself, Who could do this character justice on the big screen? Well, lets just say this, Matt Damon was born to play the role of Mark Watney.

Watney is a brilliant astronaut/botanist, yes its a weird combo, but hes witty, relatable, vulnerable and funny. Damon hits all of these attributes square on the head in the film and you love watching him on screen.

Smart

I dont want to get into details in an effort to avoid any spoilers whatsoever, but this is an incredibly smart film. Weirs source material is well researched and well planned and Drew Goddards script is no different.

Equations and farming may sound boring, but when its presented in the way it is in The Martian its fascinating and entertaining.

Supporting cast

Damon is undoubtedly the star of The Martian, but an incredible supporting cast that steals their fair share of scenes surrounds him.

Some of the standouts include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain and Michael Pena. The one who youll fall in love with, however, is the small role from Community alum Donald Glover. You wont be able to take your eyes off him whenever hes on screen.

Conclusion

The Martian is a real surprise of a film that gets better as the days go on. As soon as the credits rolled I knew this was a really great film, but after it stuck with me for a few days I realized its one of the best if not the best of 2015 so far.

The Martian is a PG-13 film that is meant for a more mature audience, but it could also have the opportunity to inspire a new generation to get into science and problem solving. To find out more about that you can take a look at the parents review of the film coming from Travis Poppleton.
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