The Martian

At the end of the day, the guys behind The Martian do know that nitpicking cannot spoil an out-and-out thrilling ride to Mars. You've got to give it to them. Go book your trip to Mars this week. And guess what, you'll have a better shot at survival there than Watney. You don't need to get hydrogen and oxygen to create water any longer... Mars will take care of that.

Much like George Miller earlier this year with Mad Max: Fury Road, it is impressive to see Scott so much in command of his craft, especially when back home, the career span of a director is barely ten or fifteen years.

In Watney's iconic style, it's about 'scienceing the sh** out of" your nightmares. His unflinching determination and persistence to survive is a story you don't want to miss. Go for it.

...if you like sci-fi films that boast of a great story line, gripping narrative, stellar performances and awe-inspiring visuals, THE MARTIAN is a must-watch.

Director Ridley Scott's visuals are either deeply intimate (focused up close on Watney and his doings) or immeasurably vast (the unending red desert stretches of Mars, the infinity of space) and the latter touch something deep and elemental in you.

Scott and his team get innovative in creating a framework for plausible realism, well aided by Janty Yates costumes, un-obstructive 3D effects and splendid space vistas. There's suspense, thrills and excitement in ample measure and though this is speculative fiction, it appears so very real.

Despite being a fanatsy, this Ridley Scott film doesn't feel fictional for a moment...

Unlike Gravity, which was at its best a unique sensory experience, The Martian rarely tries to overwhelm us with scale or spectacle. Instead—and this might sound weird—Scott's film is mainly a wry comedy, one which smoothly transfers the castaway narrative to outer space.

Detailing (potatoes were grown at different times) and scientific accuracy (NASA was consulted) has been taken into account while also providing rough and ready translations for the scientifically challenged. At the end of an entertaining and engrossing 141 minutes, you doff your hat to the skill of the actors, the director, the never-say-die spirit of human beings and also remember the intrinsic value of trash.