Are you patiently waiting for "Gladiator 2" to hit theaters? Well, Max — one of the very best streaming services available — just added one of Sir Ridley Scott's best movies, and it's well worth a watch.
Scott needs no introduction, especially as a science-fiction director. After all, he was at the helm of both "Alien" and "Blade Runner", arguably two of the greatest movies in the genre. And while some of hs more recent efforts have varied in quality, in 2015, he delivered another killer feature in the form of 2015's "The Martian".
For the uninitiated, "The Martian" is a gripping, deeply entertaining sci-fi survival story set in the near future. Based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, we follow one driven astronaut as he confronts the daunting reality of being stranded on the surface of Mars. It stands as a true celebration of the human spirit (as all great survival stories do), and it boasts one of Matt Damon's best-ever performances.
In the run-up to Scott's next feature, I'd say now's as good a time as any to revisit this modern hit. If you've not seen "The Martian" before? Here's just a little bit more info about the movie to help convince you to check it out.
What is 'The Martian' about?
"The Martian" revolves around determined botanist, Mark Watney (Matt Damon). During a fierce dust storm that springs up during a mission to the surface of Mars, Mark is hit by a projectile and is separated from the rest of his crew.
The rest of the team presume he won't survive, and abandon the planet, leaving Mark behind. Mark survives the ordeal, but is now forced to confront the reality of his situation: he's stuck on a hostile world and has to rely on his wit, ingenuity, and limited resources to survive.
On Earth, NASA soon discovers that Mark is still alive, and some of the world's most brilliant scientific minds come together to try and mount a rescue mission capable of bringing him home.
What do the critics say about 'The Martian'?
"The Martian" doesn't just come highly recommended from me; at the time of writing, it holds an impressive 91% critics' score on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes. That's a particularly impressive score when you consider it's derived from just under 400 collated reviews. Here's just a snapshot of what some of those critics had to say.
RogerEbert.com writer Brian Tallerico praised "The Martian" as "a thoroughly entertaining blockbuster that values intelligence, science and teamwork over superpowers and strength", and one that's "anchored greatly by Matt Damon's best performance in years and gilded by the kind of precise technical elements that a veteran director like Scott brings to a multi-million dollar production".
In a 3.5/4 Rolling Stone review, critic Peter Travers said 'you won't find a space epic that's more fun to geek out at than "The Martian", adding: "This suspenseful survival tale, smartass to its core, slaps a smile on your face that you'll wear all the way home".
In another positive 4/5 review, Empire's Ian Freer wrote: "Anchored by another great turn from Matt Damon, "The Martian" mixes smarts, laughs, weird character bits and tension on a huge canvas. The result is Scott’s most purely enjoyable film for ages", though he did add that the movie runs a little long and underserved its supporting cast.
Finally, Vulture's David Edelstein called it "even more ingratiating than Andy Weir's best-selling novel", adding: "cynical as I am about how monster-budget blockbusters have come to dominate the studio mind-set, I can't imagine anyone not liking this one".
Still not convinced to give "The Martian" a shot? Check out our roundup of the best Max movies you can stream right now for more top recommendations.
