A crowd pleaser if you'll ever see one, The Martian isn't the powerful drama some expected it to be--but it is surefire entertainment from the first minute to the last (well, not the last, but more on that later). Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, The Martian is one hell of a fun time.

Damon turns in a great performance as astronaut/botanist Mark Watney, who is left for dead on Mars. Through Macgyver-esque skill and in defiance of Martian nature, Watney figures out a way to survive until the next Mars mission arrives to save him--four years in the future.

The Martian is just as fun to watch as it was to read the book, which offers a blend of geeky but probable science talk, some harrowing survival scenes and plenty of sarcastic humor from the primary protagonist. Scott does a terrific job of translating Andy Weir's tale to the big screen, hitting on the tone of the novel while bringing the most foreign of landscapes to life with vivid visual effects and crisp, calculating direction.

Despite Damon's strong performance and Scott's direction, the movie doesn't quite elevate to intense drama--you never feel that Watney is at real risk of death, nor is the film particularly emotional. But the book isn't an emotional powerhouse either--it's intended to be a fun read grounded in science, in which a bunch of smart people figure out a way to survive against incredible odds.

The Martian only really veers off course in the film's final minutes. The climax works better in the book than it does on screen, and Ridley takes some odd liberties with the material that come precariously close to cheesiness. He then caps things off with a lackluster denouement that should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Still, despite a few flaws, The Martian is exactly the movie it should be. It is among the most entertaining movies of the year, and one that will certainly win over audiences from here to Mars.

Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.