When days like these come around – rainy, cold, and miserable – there is not much else to do besides stay in your comfy bed and sleep the day away. If you have a few hours to spare, however, throw on a comfortable sweatshirt and go to the movies to see the newest movie everyone is talking about.

This past Friday, The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott, premiered, and it is definitely worth the venture outside. From the laughs to the heart pounding suspense, The Martian has to be on your must see list.

Matt Damon plays astronaut Mark Watney, who is on a mission on Mars with five other astronauts, when suddenly a sandstorm hits them. They must abort the mission, but Watney gets hit with space equipment and is left behind, unable to be found by the others. When he wakes up, he must face the fact that he will have to survive on Mars for an unknown amount of time with limited food and supplies. The story of how NASA discovers him, alive, and their struggle to bring him home safely, is one that keeps you biting your nails until the end. According to readers of the book, The Martian, that the movie is based off, the film keeps to the story line extremely well (nowadays that is quite rare). From the graphics, which are spectacular in 3D, to the determination and bonds of the characters, this movie has all the ingredients for a timeless film.

The most surprising aspect of the movie was the amount of humor and lighthearted teasing and fun Watney seemed to have all the time. His optimism stuck with him for most of the film, but not the entire film of course because he had his struggles that left him more than a bit down at times. let the audience chuckle and smile at the perilous situation he was in.

This movie had many similarities to the film Castaway with actor Tom Hanks, in that the main character is virtually completely alone, and can only speak to himself on a regular basis. Although Damon’s character eventually gets in touch with NASA, he does have to endure many nights alone with horrible, horrible disco music (if you don’t understand, watch the movie!).

A lot of chemistry and science is involved with the rescue mission, and it can be a little confusing when they are talking about separating elements and using fire to create water. However, if you wait until the end of their long winded explanation, they sum it up pretty nicely in order for you to understand what must be done. Besides this, there really aren’t many complaints that one could come up with about this film.

The final 20-30 minutes of the film are action packed, suspenseful, and overall awe-inspiring. If you want to be humbled, watch this film, and try to imagine yourself being stranded millions of miles away from home on a dry planet for over 500 days. Although this movie is not based on any true event, the scenes of the world watching the rescue mission, tense and afraid -from New York to Beijing- left me and the rest of the audience silent and waiting for the final outcome. All ages, no matter what type of film you enjoy, will take pleasure in watching this sci-fi thriller for generations to come.