The Martian

[Iceglow]

Trailer here:



So I recently read the book this film will be based on. I'm definitely pretty keen to see the movie having read the book. The basic premise is that a botanist/Mechanical Engineer is stranded on a manned mission to Mars after he is mistakenly left for dead. He has to survive using his wits and knowledge to get through things where pretty much every day is going to kill him. He has supplies designed to last 6 people 31 days. If he can figure out how survive several years on Mars and re-establish contact with NASA, there is a chance he can be rescued on the next manned mission to the planet in a couple of years time.

Now obviously, that's the briefest synopsis to this excellent read and forthcoming film I can give. If I'm honest, it doesn't do it justice. The book is pretty short however and I was disappointed that the author decided to make the cut off for the end when he did. (SPOILER)The book ends when the crew who accidentally left him behind go back and perform a daring rescue that included building a bomb to blow a forward airlock open to ensure they could get to him instead of sailing past. Sure the main character is safe but it's some 200+ days from when the crew eventually get back to Earth, it's also fraught with lots of danger as the ship is operating far beyond what was intended and is starting to wear down)

If you're a fan of science fiction where the science seems to legitimately hold up for most things then you'll like this. The book also at many points had me literally laughing out loud in my room like a mad man. (It's not a long read thankfully, I ploughed through in just 2 days reading on my Kindle). So I'm hoping that the film will do the books more comical moments justice and not try to make it too dark. The topic of the film is already dark enough, it doesn't need darkening down.

It'll also be interesting to see how the translation from Book to Screen is done. The book takes form of the protagonist Mark Watney's journal written at the end of each day's activity or when something goes wrong/happens, there's huge jumps in the calendar at some points (I.E: Sol - a Martian Day equal to 24:40; 359 to 400 or the like) where it is presented that Mark never wrote anything because he was too busy . It also crops in to narrative sections which explains the various things going on which lead to key events presented as if it was a documentary piecing the journal together. The final part of the book is presented as live interaction at the time between the various members of the crew on the Ares 3 mission and NASA and their supporting bodies. These 3 very distinct and different styles seem to work OK in the books but I'm not sure how that'll flow with the film adaptation.

So discuss: Anyone else keen to see the film? Anyone else read the book?

[charliepanayi]

I liked the book, though at times it got bogged down in describing in great detail what the protagonist is doing. The cast for the film is great, but Ridley Scott hasn't made a decent film in ages which worries me.

[Del Murder]

I really liked the book. Matt Damon is a good choice for the role although he played a person in a similar situation in Interstellar and that character was much different than sarcastic optimist Mark Watney!

[Calliope]

I was given a copy of this book a year and a half ago and I still haven't read it. Whoops, it's going on the top of the pile, now. I have seen the trailer though, and it looks good, even as a standalone movie.

[Freya]

A special viral trailer thing was released that makes me love Damon more so.

[Iceglow]

My gripe with that "Aquaman controlling Whales" thing being changed to before the mission, is that in the book he realizes that on like Sol 60 something and it's the end of a chapter which literally left me laughing my ass off. I'm all for things having to change for the film but changing one of the funniest moments of alleviating comedy in the book which comes after there's been so much darkness for the past chapter and more is concerning about the tone of the movie.

[charliepanayi]

You're reading an awful lot into them transposing one moment from the book.

[Iceglow]

I'm not saying that the movie will automatically be trout. I'm just saying they've clearly transposed that humour from the end of Chapter 6 which was pretty dark and dramatic to before the mission even departed for Mars. The best thing about the book is that it manages to mix the serious gritty stuff with this element of humour that you can't help but like. In the case of this "realization" about Aquaman it's so damn irrelevant to what everyone on Earth believed he was thinking at the time, it's just bloody ridiculously funny. Now, my sole concern is that for the cinema they're going to make this too dark and gritty, they're going to go the Interstellar route, which is fine it'll be ok but they'll lose a lot of Mark Watney's character and one of the things that keeps the book such an enjoyable read. I'm hoping against hope that they do manage to preserve the comedy in the film. That they don't just trample over it for the dramatic side of the book. That being said, from the trailers? It looks like it'll be pretty well done.

(SPOILER)I'll give you more information here about the reason why this is so funny. By this point in the Book, NASA has literally only just discovered from satellite photography that he is alive on Mars. They have no way of communicating with Mark. Mark for his part has survived 60 Sols. Already a full 30 past the mission standard and it took over a year to get him to Mars. He was left behind on Sol 6. Mark has managed to figure out a method of surviving (he becomes Irish) and has also managed to save himself from being blown up after turning his habitat in to a hydrogen bomb trying to create more water. It's been fairly grim up until now with most of the entries from Mark Watney beginning with "I'm smurfed, I smurfed up and now I'm dead" and NASA are all like "I wonder what being up there alone all this time has done to his psychology?" There is then a cleverly placed page break where the next page contains 2 lines they are:

LOG ENTRY: SOL 61

How come Aquaman can control whales? They’re mammals! Makes no sense.

Now in the context of the book that one line entry is without explanation just about the funniest point up until that in the book. I literally laughed my ass off. Making one of the funniest entries in the book something that took place on a 10 day test prior to launch robs the book of one of the best moments of comedy where Mark's overcome many hardships and for just a little while he has a chance, just a chance to relax some instead of wondering what's going to kill him first today.

Random other nugget of information: I tweeted about this book a few times when reading it and literally had one of the editors/producers for the movie favourite my tweet which was pretty damn cool in my book, that he took the time to notice a tweet about it and favourite it. Probably hundreds out there in the same shoes as me but it made me smile.

[Miriel]

I was given a copy of this book a year and a half ago and I still haven't read it. Whoops, it's going on the top of the pile, now. I have seen the trailer though, and it looks good, even as a standalone movie.

I would honestly recommend anyone who hasn't but plans to read the book to completely avoid the trailer for this movie. It gives away practically everything.

[charliepanayi]

Here's another trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNZRR4qzL1Q

[Calliope]

I waited long enough to kind of forget the trailer, and then I read the book yesterday (started while waiting for Shorty to wake up in our tent, finished late late late that evening). I liked it a lot, very strong voice. I do hope that they keep Watney's humour intact (lol the Watney Triangle), but I won't be surprised if they wash it out. Great book, regardless.

[Del Murder]

That dry kind of humor is part of Matt Damon's personality so I'm sure he'll make sure it comes out. I figure that's why they got someone like a Matt Damon over a more stoic actor. Well he's also a great actor.

[charliepanayi]

It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival today and early word seems to be pretty good, which is encouraging.

[Bri]

Can't wait to watch it together with Bert. Should be an interesting movie.

[charliepanayi]

I saw this today. It's pretty good (and often funny), mainly because Matt Damon is as engaging and charismatic as ever. And I liked seeing Donald Glover in it.