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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Life on Mars requires ingenuity and a keen sense of humour if Ridley Scott's film (based on Andy Weir's novel) is anything to go by. An Oscar-nominated Matt Damon is the astronaut left for dead who must make do and mend on the Red Planet, accompanied only by disco records belonging to his commanding officer (Jessica Chastain). There are surprisingly few dark moments in a survival story that went on to win a Golden Globe in the best comedy or musical category with our hero cheerfully setting his mind to growing potatoes and re-opening lines of communication with Nasa (Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig and Chiwetel Ejiofor at ground control). He also addresses the audience in video diaries, drawing us deeper into his world as he works his way through life-threatening technical problems before the narrative switches focus to Nasa's rescue mission. The use of "real science" adds a fascinating dimension to the story, even if the psychological aspects - given the extreme distance from Earth - are less convincing. Scott, uncharacteristically, never uses the epic landscape to convey a more profound feeling of isolation either. Instead, Damon lives by his wits and trades on witticisms to get by, which makes him great company in the most dire straits.

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Credits

Cast

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Mark WatneyMatt Damon
Melissa LewisJessica Chastain
Annie MontroseKristen Wiig
Teddy SandersJeff Daniels
Rick MartinezMichael Pena
Beth JohanssenKate Mara
Mitch HendersonSean Bean
Chris BeckSebastian Stan
Alex VogelAksel Hennie
Rich PurnellDonald Glover
Venkat KapoorChiwetel Ejiofor
Mindy ParkMackenzie Davis
Bruce NgBenedict Wong
Tim GrimesNick Mohammed
Mike WatkinsEnzo Cilenti
Brendan HatchJonathan Aris

Crew

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DirectorRidley Scott

Details

Theatrical distributor
20th Century Fox
Released on
2015-10-02
Languages
English
Guidance
Swearing.
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour

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