Sandy Kenyon reviews "The Martian"

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There are just a handful of stars who are compelling enough to go solo for most of a movie, and still hold our full attention, though as a U.S. astronaut stranded on Mars, Matt Damon has plenty of help from director Ridley Scott and a-listers like Jessica Chastain who agree to take much smaller parts in "The Martian".

An emergency force the members of his crew to evacuate and his character gets left for dead. Help is 50 million miles away. He then thinks about how to put his skills at a botanist to good use.

"I've got to figure out how to grow four years' worth of food, here on a planet where nothing grows, but if I can't figure out a way to make contact with NASA, none of this matters anyhow," his character says.

The way he makes contact is inventive, and the mission to rescue him is exciting, but what is most unexpected is the guy's sense of humor. His wit and wisdom runs through the film, but leaving aside his charm, what makes 'The Martian' so great is that watching it in 3D on a big screen makes you believe he is actually alone on the red planet.

I highly recommend this movie and so does Eyewitness News anchor Shirleen Alicott, who watched it with me, and calls it "A great theater experience, especially in 3D".

"The Martian" is based on a novel that Shirleen's husband Jesse read, and he says the book translated well - especially its humorous style.

An old friend of mine called to ask if her boys, aged 12 and 14 should see "The Martian" and I told her that it would definitely be perfect for them.