The Martian, in theaters right now, is a movie of excitement, science, technology, and, of course, comedic genius. A manned mission to Mars is aborted when a gigantic storm hits the crew and “kills” Mark Watney (Matt Damon). However, Mark is not actually dead and is put in the difficult position of having to survive roughly 500 sols (one and a half Earth years) on a planet where there is no (accessible) water and nothing can grow.

Matt Damon was cast perfectly as Mark Watney. His talent of making a very serious situation hilarious, while still maintaining the intensity of the scene, was successful throughout the whole movie. Although I couldn’t chose a favorite scene, one scene I was particularly captivated by was when Mark Watney made contact with Earth and was, finally, able to talk to someone using the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder was an old probe used to collect information about Mars. It had a 360 degree camera that synced up and monitored Earth. After much thought he decided to use an alphabet with a Hexadecimal system which has 16 characters instead of the usual 26, as it would be easier to communicate. I also enjoyed Mark’s explanation of how he was technically and legally a space pirate through the International Waters Law.

All in all, the movie was very good and definitely a must watch.