The Martian (Film: 2015)

Brian G Turner

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I can't find an existing discussion on this!

The book is fantastic - and by the looks of the film, they're sticking pretty close to the original story:


I am seriously tempted to buy the Blu Ray when it comes out. :)

In the meantime, if you've seen it, feel free to discuss it here. Please remember to use the SPOILER TAG where appropriate. :)

Discussion of the book can be found here: The Martian, by Andy Weir
 
I haven't read the book, but I saw the Martian, another movie in a long list where Matt Damon is stranded alone somewhere. He was an appealing character and you can't help but root for him as he runs into problem after problem, and somehow finds ways to solve them.
 
I usually read books first and often don't watch the movies at all. For this one, I did pass on getting the book, yet decided to go see the movie. And having done that, I decided I'd have to get the book after all - it was really good. Within the constraints of being a "movie" it was the proverbial "Good Science Fiction Movie" - most things that try to be are boring or otherwise severely flawed and its little wonder the usual SFX blockbusters do so much better but this was serious, partly (not entirely) scientific, and compelling, exciting, and fun all at once.
 
How did anyone who has read the book feel that the film compared? Is it fairly faithful to the original? Or have they made key changes that undermine it, such as the inclusion of Mark pining for his family?
 
Just finished seeing this. Best thing Matt Damon has done in years. His characters wry humor under extreme pressure made him a character to root for. Terrific film.
 
I though the end was great - Mark Wahlberg walks up outside the Mars dome and shoots Damon in the forehead just before he can escape, roll credits. Oops, spoiler. ;)
 
How did anyone who has read the book feel that the film compared? Is it fairly faithful to the original? Or have they made key changes that undermine it, such as the inclusion of Mark pining for his family?

I felt Scott missed a couple of opportunities to really ramp up the tension and drama by glossing and skipping over some of the events in the book. Especially towards the end.
 
I just watched this because I wanted to see why the Oscars thought it was a comedy. I sort of see their reasoning behind it too. Everyone is saying, Matt Damon's humor is the thing that made the movie watchable right? On top of the great supporting cast too! So why not? *Shrugs* I found his character extremely likable but... I think he would have gone mentally insane on that trip! They didn't even show any signs of that. But that's the end of my criticizing.

I was pretty impressed and this film kept my attention throughout all of it. It had good pacing which I feel a lot of these original idea movies don't these days. Whereas in this movie it seemed like every single time something happens it was custom-made for something else to happen that would help the character get home. It probably means the book is a genuine-page turner and could be next on my list to read.

Probably the best Space Mission movie I've seen in years!
 
I will definitely be buying this when the blue ray comes out. It is a very good movie.

On a funny note, and a great example of the dodgy nature of pirate copies, I heard of one recently somebody bought with the silly belief it was genuine while on holidays somewhere in Asia, and there are two points on that dodgy DVD when Matt Damon is alone on mars, the only human on the planet. Except for those two film crew members who just walked in front of the lens... I daresay, it would kind of ruin the entire atmosphere of the movie!

Don't support the pirates, you will never get the same quality product.

I think buying the official blue ray is a great way of saying to Andy Weir, well done mate!
 
Finally watched this last night.

I felt Scott missed a couple of opportunities to really ramp up the tension and drama by glossing and skipping over some of the events in the book. Especially towards the end.

I know. I would have liked them to spend a while longer on the final trip out to the MAV. But all in all, a good movie. I'm really glad I had read the book first, though!
 
I finally saw "The Martian" last night, and really enjoyed it. It was the best sci fi movie I've seen in a long time, especially with the concentration on real science. I would really like to see a real space flight to Mars. Theories have been developed for years as to how colonization and terraforming could be done. I would like to see that become a reality.
 
I finally saw "The Martian" last night, and really enjoyed it. It was the best sci fi movie I've seen in a long time, especially with the concentration on real science. I would really like to see a real space flight to Mars. Theories have been developed for years as to how colonization and terraforming could be done. I would like to see that become a reality.

I still have to find time to watch the film... but thought you might be interested in my (to date) only Mars story to be published (I then put it up on my blog because the magazine was difficult to get hold of). So here's the link to my story... A Fate of Dust ...
 
Right... lessee.. the entire planet is a seed, see.. a huge poppy seed, and it explodes, sending spores everywhere and the Galactic Rangers have to clean it up, and keep the spaceways safe for blahblahWoooF!!
 
Yeah, it's a good hard SF movie, which is rare. But I wasn't about to read the book. The plot just isn't interesting or complex enough. The astronaut had to be rescued after heroic travails and ingenuity. YAWN OK for a movie, couldn't read it.

psik
 
I enjoyed it, but thought it was a "by the numbers" American movie. I kept hoping that a director such as Ridley Scott would do something to make it a little interesting, but he didn't. It did look good, though.

I was hoping that the Astronaut wouldn't survive and that the rest of the movie would be about how America dealt with the loss.
 

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