Ridley Scotts $630 million space movie, The Martian, used a clever trick that also helped Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer 8 years later. The Martian was released in 2015 and follows the story of lonely astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) as he struggles to survive on Mars after being left behind by his crew. The 2015 space movie was a box office success and was even praised by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, most notably due to The Martians screenwriters dedication to scientific accuracy. Interestingly, NASA even provided a helping hand in depicting science and technology throughout the movie to promote space exploration.