$630,000,000 sci-fi blockbuster hailed ‘absolute must see’ now streaming on BBC iPlayer

The Martian remains one of the most crowd-pleasing space epics of the modern era.

The film is based on the 2011 book by Andy Weir, the author who also wrote best-seller Project Hail Mary, which has also been adapted for the screen and hits cinemas March 19.

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, The Martian follows an astronaut stranded on Mars who must use science, ingenuity and sheer stubbornness to stay alive while NASA races to bring him home.

The film became a global phenomenon, pulling in over $630 million at the box office and earning multiple Oscar nominations.

It also stands as Scott’s highest-grossing film to date, which is no small feat for a director with a catalogue that includes Alien and Gladiator.

Now streaming on BBC iPlayer, the survival story is being rediscovered by viewers as they prepare to embark on another sci-fi epic with Project Hail Mary – and judging by audience reactions, it’s lost none of its impact.

Fans have been quick to praise The Martian’s blend of tension and humour.

One viewer called it ‘an absolute must see’ in a review on Rotten Tomatoes, while another said it ‘kept me interested for the full two hours’ — no easy achievement in an era of endless distractions.

Others highlighted Damon’s performance, with the actor repeatedly singled out as the driving force behind the film’s success.

What makes The Martian stand out is its tone. Despite the life-or-death premise, it leans into optimism, problem-solving and even comedy, famously turning a desperate survival situation into a story involving disco music and potato farming on Mars.

As one fan neatly put it, it’s ‘like the Mars version of Castaway but potatoes instead of a volleyball.’

The film’s production was just as ambitious as its story.

Shot across vast sound stages in Budapest and the striking deserts of Jordan’s Wadi Rum, it creates a convincing vision of the red planet without losing its grounded, human focus.

A decade on, The Martian still feels like a rare kind of blockbuster.

Stream The Martian on BBC iPlayer now.

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