The Martian (12A) *****
The endearing Matt Damon is one of the most charismatic actors of his generation, and a man most audiences would root for to get out of Mars alive.
It's a shrewd piece of casting from director Ridley Scott who delivers here not just one of his most entertaining space epics, but one of the most warm-hearted.
Scott’s finest film in many years blends the scientific detail of Andy Weir’s source novel with the pace and tension of a high-class thriller. Science geeks won't know what hit them. Non botany types will be truly entertained
Following a space storm that leaves his crew running for cover in the belief that he's dead, astronaut and botanist Mark Watney finds himself stranded on the Red Planet, with very few hopes for his survival.
Even if he can manage the human-unfriendly living conditions, it'll be four years before the next planned landing can pick him up. He'll be long dead from starvation by then.
That's the daunting task facing abandoned Watney who has no choice but to: 'science the shit out this' if he's to have any hope of getting home.
Meanwhile his crew, led by Jessica Chastain and Michael Pena - have no idea that he's still alive.
That it doesn’t sacrifice the sciencey stuff but blends it with real drama and comedy is what makes The Martian such a wonderful film.
In the same way that Gravity and Apollo 13 did, the movie turns problem solving into a vibrant cinematic experience with the help of a great script and cast.
Macbeth (15A) ****
MICHAEL FASSBENDER is generating a lot of Oscar heat but for the forthcoming Steve Jobs movie and his title role in one Shakespeare’s grittiest dramas. But for my money it's Marion Cotillard who steals the show in this moody adaptation.
Filmmaker Justin Kurzel’s handsome melodrama is epic in scope and scale, though it’s a film I admired rather than really loved.
Following a victorious battle and a prophesy from three witches that he will be made Thane (a nobleman) and eventually King of Scotland, Macbeth returns to his homeland and plans to celebrate with King Duncan (David Thewlis).
But, buoyed by the ambitious Lady Macbeth (Cotillard), a power-hungry Macbeth starts to covet the throne for himself - and plots to secretly kill the King.
It all plays out like a western to the sound of Shakespeare as the main characters play a violent game while they wrestle for control.
What the film lacks in dramatic thrust it more than compensates for in mood - the misty hills of Scotland have never felt more menacing, and there’s a real sense of dread as we approach the final bloody act.
It's an impressive, though uneven, adaptation, and one that won't be for everyone.
