'The Martian' Review: What Did Critics Say About Matt Damon's Film?

It won't be until October 2 when Matt Damon's "The Martian" film will open in cinemas, but as early as now, there have been a select few who already got to watch the film.

Over the weekend, 20th Century Fox gave astronauts such as Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly a super special screening of "The Martian," according to Cinema Blend. The two saw the movie while they were on the International Space Station, and it looks like they loved the movie just as much as they did the experience.

On their Twitter accounts, they raved about "The Martian," even though the film is somewhat of a horror film for astronauts.

Kjell Lindgren wrote on his page @astro_kjell, "Movie night! What a treat to watch #TheMartian while in space and see reflections of our own #JourneyToMars!"

Scott Kelly, on the other hand, wrote on his page @StationCDRKelly, "#Movie night in micro #Gravity aboard #ISS on our new HD projector which we use for conferences, tech software, etc.."

He added: "Watched @MartianMovie on @Space_Station last night! Today working towards our #JourneyToMars during my #YearInSpace!"

The story of "The Martian" follows astronaut Mark Watney (played by Damon) who journeys to Mars, but was presumed dead after a horrible storm hits the planet. Miraculously, Watney survives the storm, but there is one problem - his crew has already left him behind. With limited supplies, Watney must rely on his own wits and ingenuity to survive in Mars and send out a distress call to Earth.

It is directed by Ridley Scott, and other stars of the film include Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

So far, the film has received a 97 percent rating in Rotten Tomatoes,  with the critics consensus saying that the movie is "smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny."

"'The Martian' offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott," they add.

Todd McCarthy further writes in the movie critique website that Damon did in the spectacular job in the film since he was able to provide "comfortable company during the long stretches when he's onscreen alone, and the actor's physicality makes Mark's capability entirely credible."

For his part, Lou Limerick from The New York Post adds that "The Martian" is "the best thing that either Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott have done in years."