15 Greatest Hard Science Fiction Movies Of All Time

With a title like The Martian, it's not surprising to hear that some audiences were perplexed when watching Ridley Scott's science fiction drama - there isn't an alien to be found. Instead, Scott's adaptation of Andrew Weir's surprise hit novel focuses on a scientist's struggle to survive after being presumed dead on the red planet.

Matt Damon's performance is central to The Martian, and his efforts to stave off a seemingly inevitable death form the dramatic core of the film. His exploits are exactly the kind of thing science geeks love: he mixes his feces with Martian soil in an attempt to create fertilizer, modifying left over rocket parts and doing whatever it takes to keep his life support systems functioning until he can figure out a way off the planet.

The Martian is surprisingly restrained on the visual front as far as Ridley Scott goes, opting for realism over extravagant production design. The producers also had a little help from NASA, keen to promote their own endeavours to explore Mars, and catch up with Elon Musk, who has the bold ambition of his own to see settlers on Mars in the near future.