Ridley Scott goes back to the future, a familiar place for him, and returns in fine shape in “The Martian.” Largely set on a neighboring planet, this cleverly made adaptation* of Andy Weir’s best-selling novel is more realistic than many films set in the present.

    This time, he’s telling a survival* story, pure and simple, of an American astronaut, thought to be dead, who’s left behind on Mars when a storm forces his five fellow crew members to cut short their extra-planetary visit. It’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but without the monkey and aliens.

    When Mark Watney (Matt Damon) wakes up after having been impaled* by an antenna and knocked out, he quickly thinks about the situation: He’s millions of miles from home and, based on the food supply, understands that he’s got a month to live. But he’s by nature a can-do, optimistic* kind of guy, a botanist* with a sense of humor, and decides that he doesn’t want to die, even though the next Mars mission from home won’t arrive for another four years.

    Mark grows tomatoes and eats everything he can, carefully plans his meals and settles in for the long term.

    Back on Earth, after Mark’s tragedy has been mourned* by the public, a sharp-eyed NASA technician notices ground movement in her observation of the Martian surface that could only be Mark moving around. Communication is re-established, which brings about excitement at his survival and assessments* of what it would take and cost to rescue Mark.

    Officials at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory do everything they can to develop a rescue plan and are helped out by a foreign partner.

    But finally it comes down to the willingness of Mark’s colleagues to place themselves at great risk by taking up a long-shot* rescue mission, a decision that raises the moral dilemma* of whether it’s correct to put five lives at risk in the hope of saving one life.

    Scott creates a degree of suspense*, but the film’s overall tone is defined by the characters’ humor, mutual respect among professionals and smart people being tested by a huge challenge. (SD-Agencies)