Oscar Nom: The Martian

I freaking loved the Martian. When I first heard about it, there was really no appeal to me because I thought it was going to be another sci-fi movie like Gravity (personally just didn't like it). I was very wrong. When it got an Oscar nomination I was honestly surprised, but thought I better give it an actual chance and watch it.
          We start out in a tense scene, obviously on another planet, and what looks like the beginnings of a very bad sand storm. The special effects are already greatly used here. Because of the trailer I knew that Matt Damon had survived but for how long and to what extent was still a mystery. This is the first time we really meet Damon's character Mark Watney. This is why I love movies like this in comparison to full on comedies. Watney's character provides the perfect amount of comedic relief, while still upholding the tension of the predicament he has been put in. This movie is the normal hero movie, where the audience waits on pins and needles, thinking the protagonist is going to overcome his obstacle, only to be flailed in the opposite direction. This happens when another storm occurs on Mars, mirroring what got him stuck in the first place. We then see a shift in Watney's persona. Before this he had almost been surprised by his ability to stay alive for so long, and had conjured up some hope of getting off the planet. After all of his supplies are wiped out, it would be hard even for the most optimistic person in the world to stay hopeful. He does of course get off the planet through a weird unlikely amount of events, but then again the whole likeliness of any of this happening is already thrown out the window. The inspiring tale of survival is something we've seen time and time again, but with the slight differences made by the actors and director, it is definitely a movie to remember.
         I really enjoyed the way the vlogs were set up within the movie. It made the audience feel as though they were apart of Mark's experience on the planet, and it was also a smart use of time logging on the director's part. This way years could be passed with short vlogs in between covering the differences. Again, the special affects were fantastic, and the panoramic views of space and his travels across mars were a nice break from the big amount of close ups. This movie also had a nice variation considering it was focused on one person for most of the time. Also I already had a respect for science because it is amazing, but this movie gives you somewhat more of an inside look of what goes on in these situations, and I have so much respect for the innovative technology we even have today.
I loved this movie and give it a 9.5/10