Based off a highly successful book of the same name, The Martian is a sci-fi thriller following Mark Watney aka Captain Blonde Beard (Matt Damon) as he is stranded on Mars after his crew decides to abandon their mission, due to an impending storm. In their escape, Matt Damon’s character is hit by debris and is then thought to be dead. He wakes up after the storm, and with only his wits, humor, and the little supplies left by NASA, he must figure out how to survive on a barren planet for the next four years before another manned mission comes to Mars.

This film, directed by Ridly Scott, had a budget of 108 million dollars and was wisely spent on a star-studded cast and computer-generated imagery (CGI ) that rivals Interstellar. It is able to immerse you in the story and make you feel like you are actually on Mars with Watney, due in part to its spectacular CGI. In fact, the gravity effects are as good, if not better, than they are in the movie Gravity.

This movie really surprised me with its approach to handling a typical survival story. At first glance, it looks to be as terrifying as Ridley Scott made Alien. Oddly enough, it is rarely scary, but instead, one of the funniest films of the year. The Martian highlights Watney’s stubborn, “no quit” attitude and with each obstacle, he always tries making the best of the situation, usually by making a sarcastic comment in the face of adversity. He is easily the most optimistic person to ever be stranded alone with little chance of surviving as he always finds the humor in his current predicament.

Another tremendous aspect of this movie is the scenes in which you see NASA’s struggle with helping Watney make it home safely. Not only does NASA have to figure out how to help him survive on Mars, but they also have to handle the public. While they do throw a lot of characters at you, all of them are interesting in their own right, and performances by the cast are great across the board, namely Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor, who played the NASA lead engineer. What is great about this is that even though these characters are talking about rocket science for most of these sequences, none of it is hard to follow, and  the interaction between these workers is almost as funny as Watney’s scenes at times. The only gripe I have with these sequences is that they tend to drag on a little too long, which made me yearn for more of Watney’s sarcasm.

While most of this movie is filled with hysterical moments, it knows when to change the tone to cater to emotional scenes. Something I can say off the bat about the drama in this movie is even as someone who read the book and knew the ending the movie, it still had me gasping in anticipation to see if Watney would survive. One of the first scenes of his journey on Mars shows him surgically removing shrapnel from his body and this scene leaves you wincing on the edge of your seat. Scenes like this one compliment the comedy to make Watney a very likable character you can get behind. Many times, Watney starts to feel the weight of his situation and starts to show his fear and doubt. In these moments,  you can see Damon really shine as an actor because he sells the feeling that Watney is about to break and give up. The drama in the film seamlessly breaks up the mostly comedic tone of the movie.

The Martian is a film that thrives on the impressive performances of its cast and the great writing. It is smart and funny and dramatic when it needs to be. You feel all of Mark’s victories when he is against all odds, and you feel his despair when all hope seems to be lost.

The movie is a roller coaster that captivates the whole ride with seamless transition from drama to comedy. The music really emphasizes the highs and lows of Watney’s journey and the CGI is almost unnoticeable. The Martian is Ridley Scott’s best film since Alien and has something for just about every type of movie goer out there.