What a brilliant movie this could have been. Sadly, it has been partly ruined by two things for me...
1. The pacing.
Sorry, but I have to disagree strongly.
Ever since digital distribution came around and studios thus don't have to pay for every single copy of a film sent to a theater by the meter of film stock, there's no one in the editing suite keeping directors honest about their film's length. Like Rick Rubin telling the bands he produces to focus on the essentials, Ridley Scott really needs someone to tell him that while he can make a 144-minute movie, the result would be stronger if he keeps it at 100minutes and simply focuses on what's essential. Same's true for SPECTRE, by the way.
2. If you already have bloated your film beyond the two-hour mark, is it really necessary to add padding "crowds gathering in all key markets" shots to the sappy Hollywood ending? The whole final sequence was just too much, but the crowd shots really killed it for me.
Such great acting by Damon, such attention to detail and love of science and space exploration have been put into this movie.
7/10, nevertheless.