Empire UK

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THE EMPIRE MOVIE GUIDE

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TRAGIC

EVERY NEW MOVIE REVIEWED AND RATED |

SEPTEMBER 25 — OCTOBER 23 2015

The artian

★★★★

OUTSEPTEMBER 30/CERT.TBC/141 MINS.

DIRECTORRidley Scott

CASTMatt Damon Jessica Chastain

Kristen Wiig Jeff Daniels Chiwetel Ejiofor

PLOTOn a manned mission to Mars

astro-botanist Mark Watney (Damon)

is caught in a fierce space storm and

left behind by his crew. Watney must

survive on his wits while a team at

NASA and beyond figure out how to

get him home.

OWARDS THE END

of The Martian Matt

Damon’s stranded

scientist Mark Watney

in a moment of

mini-triumph shouts

“In your face Neil

Armstrong!” It’s indicative of the film’s

irreverence — so rare in the usually sterile

spacesuit genre. After a lugubrious run

taking in Body Of LiesPrometheus The

Counsellor and Exodus: Gods And Kings

Ridley Scott’s 23rd film as director is the

most fun he’s had in ages: a mash-up of

sci-fi disaster movie and character study.

Spinning off from Andy Weir’s everyone-

was-reading-it-on-the-bus bestseller

as much as it is a Robinson-Crusoe-in-

space it’s also a jet-black comedy about

laughing in the face of mortality.

Instantly joining E.T. and Bruce

Dern’sFreeman Lowell (Silent Running)