The Martian (2015)

This is a tremendously absorbing story and even gets “grab your armrests” tense a few times. The success of the narrative lands right on Damon, but he can handle it. We are in awe of him, we root for him, and we worry for him. Damon does a great job of inhabiting a role that demands he be both charming and supercilious.

All that said, the story is stuffed a bit too full of unnecessary characters and is also a tad predictable. I don't think anyone ever doubted how it would end.

B