Still, it succeeds simply by being a well-told survival story that balances suspense with wit.
The Martian is a fine return to form for both well-liked artists - and especially for the director after his last few misfires. Look at it this way: It’s the polar opposite of this year’s other Best Picture nominee about a lonely man wandering a hostile landscape, and it manages to juggle its gut-wrenching premise with a lighthearted, even at times upbeat tone, thanks to Matt Damon’s performance and Ridley Scott’s direction. Finally, production designer Arthur Max nabbed nods for Gladiator in 2001 and American Gangster in 2008, and set decorator Celia Bobak previously landed a nomination for her work on The Phantom of the Opera in 2005. As for Visual Effects, Richard Stammers has been nominated twice ( Prometheus in 2012, X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2015), and Chris Lawrence won in 2014 for Gravity. In the sound department, Paul Massey has been nominated six times for work in films like 1994’s Legends of the Fall and 2004’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, but has never won and Mark Taylor and Oliver Tarney were both nominated in 2014 for Captain Phillips. Matt Damon won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar alongside Ben Affleck in 1998 for Good Will Hunting, and has been nominated twice for acting ( Good Will Hunting and 2010’s Invictus).
The Martian’s Oscar history: This is the fourth nomination for Ridley Scott, who was overlooked in this year’s Best Director category, but would share the trophy alongside producers Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, and Mark Huffam if The Martian takes Best Picture.