10 Smartest Decisions In Sci-Fi Movie History

6. Sciencing The S*** Out Of His Situation - The Martian

Ridley Scott's The Martian is one of the smartest and most "realistic" sci-fi films of recent times, following an astronaut, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), who ends up stranded on Mars and must "science the s***" out of his situation in order to survive, as he so memorably puts it.

Despite the planet's hostile conditions, Watney displays frequently brilliant resourcefulness throughout the film, performing self-surgery on himself to remove debris, and being a botanist, he's able to grow potatoes using the feces of both himself and the other crew members.

This gives him enough basic calories to survive being marooned (at least until the crops are destroyed in an accident), while he also sups up his rover for travel and even manages to use the Pathfinder probe to communicate with Earth.

Basically, he puts almost every foot right, and with him being far more capable at surviving Mars' harsh climate than just about anybody watching, the film is almost totally free of the frustrating character decisions that cloud Scott's other aforementioned recent sci-fi movies.