The Martian

Damon lays on his all-American charm as Mark Watney, a botanist left stranded on the surface of the red planet after he's hit by debris and presumed dead by his team during an emergency evacuation back to Earth.

Based on Andy Weir's painstakingly researched novel, there’s a surprising amount of science fact on offer as Watney improvises to survive. A cinematic testament to the indomitable human spirit, Damon is great in the lead – totally convincing, thoroughly engaging – and it’s only when the action is necessarily diverted away to NASA and the crew returning to Earth without him that the narrative sags and lulls. Drew Goddard’s script does do a fine job of conveying complex scientific ideas in those sequences, but it’s really buzzing in the scenes with Watney.

The Mars landscapes are stunningly rendered, but The Martian is Damon’s show. His delivery down the lens builds a rapport with the audience and is where the film excels – it’s perhaps a slight shame that the whole can’t quite maintain its star’s course.