Besides the engrossing story, The Martian is powered by an incredible array of big-name talent. Besides lead/stranded astronaut Mark Watney played by Matt Damon, you get the rest of his crew aboard the Hermes, including Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, and Aksel Hennie, along with NASA and JPL ground support, which includes Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, and Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover. 

Also unusual for a Scott film is the amount of humor throughout. Damon spends almost all of the film alone, and much of his performance is communicating information to viewers through recorded messages laced with smart humor, including lines like “In the face of overwhelming odds, I’m only faced with one option. I’m going to have to science the sh— out of this.” 

I’m a Damon fan, and it’s his charisma and likability that help propel and make the story so interesting. You can’t help but root for Watney as he continually works through problems, persevering and surviving regardless of the odds. Similar to how Tom Hanks carried Castaway, Damon holds this movie on his shoulders, and does a damn fine job of it.

While shot in a combination of 4K and 6K resolutions, the home video transfer is taken from a 2K digital intermediate, which honestly surprised me a bit because the picture quality is so fantastic, sharp, and full of detail throughout that I was all but sure it was a 4K DI. This is a case where the numbers don’t tell the story, and I found the video quality from the Kaleidescape 4K HDR download to be reference quality.

Images have incredible focus, depth, and dimensionality, almost having a 3D quality. Beyond that, they are so incredibly clean, with razor-sharp edges, they have an almost glossy quality at times. I was impressed by the gorgeous images, allowing you to revel in every pixel of detail and texture, such as the minute details in the design and construction of the astronauts’ suits, where you can see the stitching, webbing, and layers of detail.

The color palette shifts between the distinct look on Mars—dusty reds and oranges; the Hermes—modern and sleek whites and blacks of space; and Earth. The resolution and HDR really help the many computer screens aboard the Hermes and at NASA to pop, with detail so sharp you can read the tiny text on monitors in mission control. You also get bright gleaming ships and the pop of spacesuits against the black of space, or the bright pops of searchlights, along with nice deep shadows and detail. Further, HDR’s wider color creates deeply saturated, punchy, and lifelike images.

Even more exciting is the Dolby TrueHD Atmos soundtrack, which is incredibly immersive and active, and worth the purchase price on its own. Whether it’s big, dynamic moments like the sounds of dust and debris pelting you during a Martian wind storm, the groans and creaks inside Watney’s hab as it rocks in the storm, the in-rush of air during pressurization, or a multitude of little mechanical noises in ships, the sound mix constantly places you in the action. Even in scenes at NASA or JPL, you can hear the sound of jets or helicopters flying off in the distance. I’d previously watched The Martian on its original Blu-ray release, which did not include the Atmos audio mix, and have to say that as good as that was, the Atmos audio steps things up a notch. There isn’t a lot of deep bass, but there are a few such as the opening storm and the rocket launch where you get some nice tactile bass you can feel in your seat.

Dialogue is the most important sound element in the film, and it is well presented and intelligible throughout.

I can’t recommend The Martian enough. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an absolute no-brainer. And if you have but never at home in 4K HDR with Atmos, it’s definitely worth revisiting. 

Probably the most experienced writer on custom installation in the industry, John Sciacca is co-owner of Custom Theater & Audio in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, & is known for his writing for such publications as Residential Systems and Sound & Vision. Follow him on Twitter at @SciaccaTweets and at johnsciacca.com.