The Martian
After a tragic exodus from Mars, Astronaut and botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left on the planet’s surface. Having survived, Watney awakens to find himself stranded on the red planet with minimal supplies. Intellect, ingenuity, and the will to survive drive him forward, but will that be enough to save him before NASA can conjure up a rescue mission? 
Based on the thoroughly researched book by Andy Weir, screenplay writer Drew Goddard has sufficiently boiled the 387 page book into 141 minutes casting aside much of the scientific reasoning and cause/effect rationale that fans of the book have come to appreciate. However, what remains is still a stand up and cheer good time, with solid laughs, strong pathos, and what feels like genuine interaction, bureaucracy, and problem solving at the NASA level. No stranger to space, Director Ridley Scott hits easy gold with this less controversial but more inspiring crowd pleaser ushering the rest of his ensemble including Jessica Chasten, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Sean Bean to a moderately predictable outcome. Space as we know it, with a strong case of “What if,” worthy of your time and dollar, The Martian is rated PG-13.