The Martian may be the best movie Ridley Scott has done since Gladiator (which came out a decade and a half ago). It stars Matt Damon as an astronaut whose crew strands him on Mars, after mistaking him to be dead. Various other big name actors have supporting roles in the movie too, such as Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean and Michael Pena. Also, the movie is very lighthearted and fun considering its potentially depressing story.
Well anyway, the movie starts with a crew of five astronauts on an exploration mission to Mars. Damon’s character is very quickly established as the Botanist while harassing the fellow members of his crew (in particularly the one played by Pena). Meanwhile, it is discovered that a dust storm is on the way. Damon is injured (presumably killed) when trying to get to the shuttle, causing his crew to leave him behind. However, he survives. Likewise, he uses his Botany skills to ensure that he continues to do so. In doing so, he grows potatoes and essentially lives off them (until later on when an accident all but eliminates his ability to grow anymore). Meanwhile, he also finds the Mars Pathfinder which enables him to communicate with the NASA space station and (eventually) his crew so they know he’s alive.
Now, as for the movie itself, it is probably—to date—the first intelligent take on the Red Planet so far. Usually, movies set on Mars tend to use the planet as the setting for a generic horror or action film. That being said, the movie is mostly scientifically accurate (with a few differences due to entertainment purposes). Speaking of which, “the Martian” is a very good movie. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially that prefer intelligence in their Science Fiction and anyone who can appreciate a gallows sense of humor.