The Martian [4K UHD]

Film director Ridley Scott is well known for releasing direct-to-disc “Extended Editions” or “Director’s Cuts” of selected movies, usually several months after the completion of their theatrical runs. His most notable Director’s Cuts, which are usually vastly superior to their shorter theatrical releases, include “Kingdom of Heaven,” “American Gangster,” “Gladiator,” and now “The Martian.”I’ve already reviewed the theatrical release version on Blu-ray disc (BD) of “The Martian” here at Amazon. I think it’s a nearly perfect blend of drama, high adventure, suspense, comedy, and realistically futuristic technology. Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Sean Bean, and based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, it tells the story of how an American astronaut, presumed killed in a violent sandstorm on Mars, is left behind to fight for his survival against incredibly long odds…“The Martian Extended Edition” is a 2-BD set, with one disc containing both the theatrical release and extended edition of Scott’s feature film, and the other containing a wide variety of excellent special features – most of which are brand new. The extended edition is 151 minutes long and adds about 10 minutes of footage to the theatrical release. Most of the extra footage shows astronaut Mark Watney’s heroic efforts to survive on Mars long enough for someone to come and rescue him. A few minutes are added to various scenes back on earth at Mission Control.I didn’t see any significant differences between the extended and theatrical versions of the film, so I’m a bit undecided as to whether or not my purchase of “The Martian Extended Edition” was worth the extra money I paid for it. However, if there were anything that does make my purchase worthwhile, it would have to be that supplemental “Special Features” disc included in this 2-BD set. I thought the bonus features were all very entertaining, interesting, and helpful in enhancing my enjoyment of the feature film. Highly recommended for both the feature film and the outstanding bonus features.

This review is for the EXTENDED EDITION Blu-ray. The five stars relate to the movie itself and the quality of this Blu-ray edition.I had purchased the original Blu-ray when it was released. I doubt I would have purchased this again for only ten additional minutes of content except for the Amazon credit I needed to burn. Of course this is a no brainer if you are upgrading to Blu-ray or haven't purchased yet. I was unable to find an explanation online as to the actual extra scene content, so I have provided a synopsis here.Spoilers Follow:Most of the additional screen time relates to Mark Watney on the planet. Otherwise, there is a scene between Vincent and Annie after his press conference where she is unhappy with his performance. There is also a scene where the NASA group are discussing what Mark wrote in response to finding out they hadn't told the crew he was alive. This was supposedly changed for the movie to get the PG-13 theatrical rating. There is also a little more of Rich Purnell.On Mars there are a number of scenes which just have a few seconds added on. This also relates to showing the lag in downtime with both Mark and NASA waiting for responses. There is a scene showing Commander Lewis letting Mark know they were coming for him. A couple of scenes where Mark decides to finish the work and experiments the crew were doing, and him doing that. A little additional time in the rover, and a section showing how he lived during the time it took him to get to the rocket.There is four minutes of deleted scenes on disk two.*Mark calculates rover time distances*Hermes crew discuss sleeping arrangements*Mark looks at Earth from Hermes with final VOA good movie and an excellent looking picture. One of the few lately where the CGI doesn't look overdone.

The MARTIAN is one of my Very Favorite films. Every time it's been on TV I watch it. Even Now that I have the DVD. I lose myself in the drama every time. When the garden is destroyed, I'm petrified for Mark's survival. It's the same with every scene of consequence.I Highly Recommend THE MARTIAN for anyone that likes a real Robinson Caruso story. It's not so much about space as it is about how a man must figure out how to live every day, and not be daunted over the odds against him.I bought this one for the added features. I have to say, a few really were not worth the extra money. The Gag Scenes are just a handful of the actors' flubbing lines. Nothing novel about that. The photos of the ships are such a Bore. Just Too long.A few of the deleted scenes explained a couple of items in the film. Too bad those were not in the finished film. And I did like to see how they showed behind-the-scenes work. It was wonderful to learn that all the potato plants were Real. They actually grew them and planted them on the set. They worked closely with NASA to ensure that the technology was accurate in reality. There are some things NASA is working on that were portrayed in the film. Of course, they did take license in some things, so said one of the NASA people interviewed. :-)

I’m keeping this short. If you haven’t already read the book or seen the movie adaptation of the book, you’ve probably been living in a cave somewhere. :)The book - by Andy Weir - is a fantastic story of an astronaut being accidentally stranded on Mars and how he survives there until a rescue mission can be pulled together to recover him.As is usually the case, the book is better than the movie. However, the theatrical version does a fantastic job of capturing the key moments of the book.For the audiobook fans, the audiobook version of this book is narrated by Wil Wheaton and is also fantastic.Do yourself a favor and sit down to enjoy this movie sooner than later.