As far as science fiction cinema is concerned, few filmmakers can compare to Ridley Scott. While the director has seldom delved into the genre over the course of his decades-long career, his filmography still holds two bonafide masterpieces in Alien and Blade Runner (the less said about Prometheus, the better). In The Martian, Scott returns to the genre once more, but this time, the focus is on space-set drama rather than acid-dripping xenomorphs and replicants.

Matt Damon stars as astronaut Mark Watney, who is presumed dead during a manned mission to Mars and left to behind to wander the planet alone. With limited resources and few hopes to reach out to NASA, Watney must summon all his scientific skill to sustain himself until his crew is able to learn that he’s still alive and organize a rescue party.

If the above description sounds anything like the Tom Hanks vehicle Cast Away, it frequently plays very much like that 2000 film. Much of The Martian centers on Watney’s survival skills in the face of insurmountable odds, but thanks to a playful script by Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods), scenes in which Damon attempts to grow crops on a desolate planet or narrates his day-to-day activities directly into the camera are among the film’s most entertaining moments. The Martian owes a lot to its clever use of a mission log — as glimpsed in the trailers — that deftly allows Damon to provide updates on his situation, creating an instant and intimate bond with audiences in the process.

Even though he is alone throughout nearly all his time onscreen, Damon anchors the film with an engaging performance that conveys his character’s desperation, isolation and sense of humor in the face of unforeseen complications during his time on Mars. In addition, the actor is accompanied by a gifted set of supporting players in the film, including Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Peña. Luckily, each performer plays their archetypal roles with poise and manages to evade cliché.

While The Martian shares similar thematic ground with films like Apollo 13, Scott retains the film’s stakes without relying too heavily on procedural melodrama to rein audiences in. Rather, nearly every scene in The Martian feels grounded and natural, from NASA’s difficulties in dealing with the media ramifications of Watney’s “resurrection” to Damon’s incredulity when a new obstacle presents itself during his quest to get home.

That said, The Martian is not without some minor flaws. For one, the film so eagerly jumps to Watney’s “death” that the audience hardly has time to acquaint itself with the bond he shares with the rest of his crew, a connection that becomes more important as the film goes on. Also, though its disco-heavy soundtrack (yup, you read that right) feeds into one of The Martian‘s more satisfying running gags, the song selection does come across as a bit too on-the-nose at times. Moreover, the film’s nearly 142 minute runtime does feel slightly overextended, but this is ultimately justified by the epic but intensely focused scope of its story.

Moving and awe-inspiring, The Martian is one of Scott’s finest achievements in years and certainly among the most crowd-pleasing films of the year, brimming with top-notch performances, visual artistry and laughs (keep an eye out for The Lord of the Rings reference in a scene featuring Sean Bean himself). It’s the kind of moviegoing experience that sadly happens all too rarely these days and one of the best films to come out this year. Are you listening, Oscar?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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