As kids, many of us have experienced the fear of being left behind. Lost in a supermarket, panicking as your parents get too far ahead of you during a walk in the park ... now imagine being left on an entirely different planet.
"The Martian" is based on that premise as astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, deals with what must be some serious abandonment issues after being mistaken for dead and left on Mars. He then has to figure out how to survive on the red planet by himself with little to help him.
Damon's turn as an enterprising astronaut and botanist earned him a Golden Globe for best actor, and an Oscar nod in the same category (the Academy Awards take place Feb. 28). While he has been thrilling audiences as Jason Bourne in the "Bourne" film series — fans are eagerly awaiting a fifth installment due for release later this year — Damon, 45, says Mark the Martian is someone he can more easily relate to.
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