50 Essential Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

Just because it’s called science fiction doesn’t mean it has to be implausible or unrealistic - as Ridley Scott proves time and again with The Martian.

This 'Castaway in space' leaves Matt Damon’s Mark Watney behind on Mars, and forces him to use his skills as a scientist to survive. Watching a man become increasingly emaciated while growing crops from poo doesn’t sound like a high-point for sci-fi cinema, but The Martian manages this with Drew Goddard (Bad Times at The El Royale, Cabin in the Woods, Buffy) on script duties, injecting humour into every other beat, while Scott keeps the scenes tight and engaging, and DP Dariusz Wolski and a crack team of CG animators give us the best looking Mars we’ve ever seen.

Never has a cast been so unnecessarily large as The Martian's - with Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sebastain Stan, Jeff Daniels, and Donald Glover all putting in an appearance - but give Ridley Scott a budget and he'll use every penny of it. And, do you know what, it works. The science is painstakingly realistic and elaborate, at times feeling like an advert for NASA, but the expansive cast of characters on Earth and on the ship that leaves Mark behind keep things ticking nicely through to a well-earned conclusion.

 And it won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy… so there’s that, too.