The Martian Just Landed on Peacock — Stream Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Survival Thriller Tonight

If you’re in the mood for some truly top-shelf sci-fi (and who isn’t?), there’s some good news: Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ has landed on Peacock. This is one of those rare blockbusters that’s as smart as it is crowd-pleasing—plus, it made an absolute mountain of cash when it came out ($630 million worldwide, if you’re counting). Considering Scott’s resume includes movies like ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Alien’, and ‘Gladiator’, that’s saying something.

Released in 2015, ‘The Martian’ still stands as Ridley Scott’s biggest box office hit. Drew Goddard handled the script (fun fact: he’s also writing the ‘Project Hail Mary’ adaptation), and he adapted it from Andy Weir’s novel—a book that basically became sci-fi homework because of how much actual science is packed in.

So, What’s 'The Martian' About?

Here’s the setup: it’s 2035, and astronaut/botanist Mark Watney (that’ll be Matt Damon) gets left behind on Mars after a freak dust storm. His crew figures he died, but you can guess from the runtime that isn’t the case. Watney has to find a way to survive on a planet that’s not especially friendly to humans, while NASA tries to cook up a rescue plan from 140 million miles away.

The movie came with a budget of around $108 million but raked in almost six times that worldwide. It hit theaters on October 2, 2015, was nominated for six Oscars, and scored a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not too shabby for a grimy survival story about growing potatoes in Martian dirt.

How Close to Real Science Is This, Really?

‘The Martian’ isn’t your average 'space movie where the rules don’t matter' (cough, Michael Bay). Scott and Weir both put in the research, which means most of Watney’s MacGyver-ing—making water, botanizing Mars, even the general Martian conditions—are roughly accurate. NASA folks and space geeks generally give the movie a solid thumbs up on that front.

But there’s a catch—and it’s a big one. The film kicks off with a monster storm that knocks over million-dollar equipment and, eventually, Watney himself. In real life, Mars’ atmosphere is so thin that no windstorm could ever pull that off; the dust is gritty, but not hurricane-level deadly. Also, the wild rescue at the film’s climax? Pure Hollywood. But if you want your survival movie to move fast, sometimes you just need to roll with it.

'The only truly inaccurate thing is the storm itself, which could never happen on Mars with such force.'

Where to Stream It Now

‘The Martian’ has bounced around nearly every streaming service at this point—Netflix watchers, you probably caught it there a couple times. As of May 1, it’s officially a Peacock exclusive (for now), joining a lineup that’s also got ‘The Day After Tomorrow,’ ‘Galaxy Quest,’ ‘The Mummy,’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty.’ Not a bad sci-fi-adventure buffet, honestly.

The Cast List (a Crew Worth Saving)

• Matt Damon as Dr. Mark Watney (botanist, deadpan sarcasm professional)
• Jessica Chastain as Commander Melissa Lewis
• Kristen Wiig as NASA media director Annie Montrose
• Jeff Daniels as NASA chief Teddy Sanders
• Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor—the supporting cast here is stacked

What’s Next For Ridley Scott?

Scott’s sticking with what works and heading back to sci-fi later this year with ‘The Dog Stars.’ Details: post-apocalyptic world, Josh Brolin and Jacob Elordi on the hunt for a mysterious radio signal, and presumably a few shots of people squinting into the ruins of civilization. That one arrives August 28 via 20th Century Studios. Mark your calendars if you’re a fan of classic Scott survival stories.