Movie · 2015 · Science Fiction, Drama, Adventure · 2h 21m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 7.6/10 (2.6M ratings)
Bring him home.
Overview
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.6/10
IMDb: 8.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.79/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 80
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Ridley Scott
Production
Genre Films, TSG Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions
Cast
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover, Nick Mohammed, Chen Shu, Eddy Ko Hung, Enzo Cilenti, Jonathan Aris, Gruffudd Glyn, Geoffrey Thomas
Where to watch
fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A crowd-pleasing survival adventure that turns hard science into suspense and optimism. It’s smart, funny, and unusually buoyant for a stranded-in-space story, with a strong sense of momentum and problem-solving.
Best for
viewers who like survival stories built around ingenuity
fans of optimistic sci-fi with humor
people who enjoy procedural problem-solving and mission teamwork
audiences looking for an accessible, big-studio space adventure
Skip if
you want bleak, introspective, or minimalist sci-fi
you dislike science-heavy dialogue and technical problem-solving
you prefer character studies over plot-driven survival narratives
Overview
The Martian is one of the rare blockbusters that makes competence thrilling. It treats engineering, improvisation, and logistics like action beats, and the result is a movie that feels both grounded and propulsive. The stranded-on-Mars premise is simple, but the film keeps finding new ways to turn each setback into a fresh burst of suspense or humor.
Worth noting
What gives it its appeal is the tone: it’s anxious but never despairing, and it trusts wit as much as heroism. The film’s best stretches balance isolation with a larger ensemble effort back on Earth, so the story never becomes repetitive even when the setting is mostly one planet and one problem.
Bottom line
It’s not a deeply mysterious or emotionally raw sci-fi film, and some viewers may find its polished, procedural approach a little too neat. But as an audience-friendly survival story with real momentum, it’s exceptionally effective and easy to recommend.
Top Letterboxd reviews
adambolt (4★) · 8939 likes
when your friends make a new group chat without you
MenOnFilm (3.5★) · 5122 likes
This was the most Tom Hanksless Tom Hanks movie I've ever seen.
özzy (3.5★) · 4078 likes
matt damon: *eats a boiled potato*
me: now that;s cinema
kayla (4★) · 3257 likes
“Wouldn’t it just be so cool to be smart?????” - my sister