The Martian... Hmmmm

[firstlight]

I noticed that Unipol has a copy of the Martian to give away. I take it he doesn't think much of it. I have to admit that I didn't see the book in print, i heard the Audible book read by R C Bray. I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. His reading of it was brilliant, and although there is a lot of colourful language, it seemed very real an believable to me (which also made it very real).

The movie however was abominable. The characters were not even 2 dimensional... closer to a singularity. Very disappointing was the fact that the movie characters didn't resemble the personalities that the audio book brought out. The memorable lines from the book were missing, as were key scenes ans events. Worst of all was the ending which was changed completely from the text and frankly ridiculous.

In summary: My impression of the text is coloured brilliantly from the excellent reading by R C Bray, and the movie was spectacularly disappointing. Save your money to buy bricks to drop on your feet... I would have enjoyed that more.

[RickS]

Hi Tony,

I was disappointed with the movie as well. I'll stick to watching them on planes in future and then only when I need a break from reading a book :)

Cheers,
Rick.

[AdrianF]

I have to agree the movie was disappointing
I wish I had left it at reading the book.

Adrian

[pmrid]

Yeah. Movie was a let-down.
Having read the book a couple of times, I was probably expecting too much from the movie I guess. Not everyone is a science/astronomy nerd and movies are made to attract the wider audience. I had hoped to see more of the science and less of the folksy personalities at NASA; more of the challenges of fitting out the vehicles, the rollover, the storm-avoidance and so on. Bummer. I give it a 3 out of 5.
Peter

[firstlight]

I hear you



Yup



INHO I think you are a bit too generous. They pretty well butchered a good story. I hear lots of people liked the Movie, I can only assume they didn't read or hear the audio book (I'll plug it again... get the audio book... it will blow your mind.)

Actually I had to laugh out loud in the movie when he repaired his helmet with duct tape, and the hab with a piece of plastic and duct tape. Also it was funny when it flapped during a sand storm. Really? 1 atmosphere in the dome and less than 1% outside? Almost 200:1?... riiiight! :screwy:

Am I being too picky? Probably, but hey, if they even can't put in Watney's Theme Song (read/hear the book), then have to anglicise the Hindu-Americans name (Why? :shrug: Would people have trouble pronouncing Venkat?), then they deserve to be picked.

I know, I know I'm having a full-on rant, but when my 9 year-old son is picking the movie to pieces on the drive home, you know the level they sunk the story to. BTW if there were spoilers for those who haven't seen the movie in the above paragraph, I just have to live with the burden :lol:.

I gave the movie 4.5... bricks. Actually sorry I spent the money, but I hoped that it was at least half as good as the book. This was the worst translation of book to movie that I've seen since Dune.

[casstony]

Despite the technical silliness, I thought it was good family entertainment and anything that raises the profile of space exploration is a good thing. It's always dangerous watching the movie after reading the book.

[firstlight]

Yeah, true.

Being too picky. Upset me more than it should? ;)

[firstlight]

I suppose what really got at my goat was the believability of the book which was totally disregarded. Also I thought there were SO many good/cool/funny lines that got chopped.

"Yeah, things didn't go exactly to plan, but I'm not dead so it's a win!"

[casstony]

I remember being similarly annoyed at watching Jurassic Park after reading the book. "Who's this soft, cuddly old guy, where's the nasty businessman?"
I guess reading is bad for us :)

[firstlight]

You mean we use our brains? Dangerous in our society.

[ZeroID]

Hmmm, I've read the book, was looking forward to the movie, now I'm not so sure.
The book was excellent IMHO, I have a very vivid imagination and got completely lost in it to the point of staying up late one night to finish it.

I'm not super picky about movie versions, but I like to have a reasonably close resemblance to the story line and the action. I can tolerate a bit of license with the physics if the rest of the movie at least entertains well but now I'm wondering ... :shrug:

I'll go and see it if only to satisfy my own curiousity. I guess it will be a bit like 'Gravity' which took a fair few liberties with reality but I enjoyed anyway.

[jjz]

I am reading the book now, I didnt want the movie to ruin it for me. Sounds like I made the right decision....

[ZeroID]

Ok, verdict. Awesome. Not perfect obviously, some physics ignored but the overall movie is very good.
For those who complain about stuff not being included the film is already 2 and half hours long. To get all the drama the book covers would end being a 3 episode LOTR experience. They used some speed up sequences to accelerate some bits and some clever two location shifts to show NASA and Mars doing similar tasks. I think the balance between Mars location time and Earth\Hermes time about right. It needed to get the correlation between the efforts on Earth and his side of it to balance how it all worked.
It was almost documentary style, believable and reading the book first is an excellent idea. I was able to fill in the bits that the film could not include but still enjoy it all.
I'll give it 9 out of 10.

[PeterM]

Totally agree Brent awesome movie. Thoroughly enjoyed and heading back for a 2nd VMax viewing tomorrow. 9/10 absolutely.

[Suzy]

Oh wow, I'm loving the feedback on this movie; I guess I won't expect too much for when I finally get around to seeing it when hubby gets back from his travels. I made him promise me *not* to watch the movie on the plane. I want a date night at Gold Class with all the trimmings (wine, food). So if the movie disappoints, at least I'll be in comfort :lol:.

My daughter and her husband saw it and absolutely loved it.

Question please?

I have heard before that it's focused a lot around NASA people. Are there plenty of gorgeous panoramic views of Mars using NASA's real footage? We have so much of it these days.
I asked my daughter but she had trouble answering if there was :shrug:.

And I guess after reading these comments, I'm probably better off watching the movie first and then getting audio book.

[RobF]

I don't see that many movies in the cinema these days, but had a chance to see this in 3D, and loved it. Yes, I could poke scientific holes in it, and no I haven't read the book.

But it was great entertainment, and on quite a few occasions realised how much extra oomph the 3D added (reflections off helmets etc).

Really glad went to see it.
Still not sure about the plastic and tape to repair that airlock though....:lol:

[casstony]

Suzy, there are lots of gorgeous panoramic views but they're mostly scenes from deserts on Earth I think. Still enjoyable though.

[Suzy]

Thank you Tony :)

[ZeroID]

Suzy, as I said I think it was quite well balanced in the NASA/JPL - Mars exposure. They used some quite clever cinematography to convey connection and fill in what could have been quite complex and time consuming explanations about parallel events.
I'm pretty sure you're going to love it.

A lot of the scenic shots were taken to convey the isolation of his situation. There are plenty of quite stunning vistas and some unusual views which work for it.

And I'm not sure about the plastic door fix either ... ( Suzy - you'll find out ... no spoilers here )

As a technical comment I noticed that they showed the air pressure at the Habitat as earth normal, about 15 lbs. I think the ISS actually runs at a lower pressure, not sure what. It would have made better sense to run the habitat at a lower pressure, less strain on seals and components. I know it's just a movie thing to show the audience what is happening but would that be a better system ? And why ?

[Suzy]

Hi Brent, thank you so much for that explanation, it's much appreciated.

I came across this article by Phil Plait. I could only read the beginning though as he warned there's spoilers in it.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/10/10/the_martian_scifi_blockbuster_is_ab out_the_science.html

[gb_astro]

One of the people that enjoyed the movie was the author himself, Andy Weir.
There are plenty of online interviews around.
He seems a lot more casual about it than a lot of his readers.
Even with the book he admits that plot sometimes took precidence over fact.

gb.

[firstlight]

I have always had a policy of not watching the movie if I've read the book and visa versa, so it's my own fault that the movie disappoints me. Yes, to put in all the events that occurred in the book would have made this an epic move in the order of LOTR.

However...

I just can't see any excuse to leave out key dialogue and events - loss of Pathfinder for one. If he was in constant contact with Earth then the "Space Pirate" scene is not applicable. Can't be a pirate if he is in constant communication and they are telling him to go to the MAV and take control, right? And no theme song, really can't work that one out. Don't really understand why do the ludicrous alternate rescue EVA either.

I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read/heard the book, but the airlock and helmet repair would have grated and hindered my suspension of belief.

[firstlight]

I agree that not everything was factual, but it was BELIEVABLE. The movie was not. I'm sure that Andy would have been happy with the movie. Don't want to sound too cynical, but having your book turned into a Hollywood blockbuster with all the fame and money that entails would help you be more accepting of poor editing.

[DJT]

I have read the book a couple of times, it's a great yarn. We managed to see the film this week and we thoroughly enjoyed it.The only unbelievable thing that ruined it for me was the notion that Sean Bean can get through a movie without running someone through with a sharp pointy thing or being beheaded. :shrug:

It was good Fun. Will watch again.

[pmrid]

What are the chances that he would say he didn't like it? He will be cashing in his royalties cheques for a long, long time. He's not stupid enough to kill the golden goose, no matter what he thinks about the movie.
Peter

[Octane]

Just how many billions has the US spent recovering Matt Damon from space?

H

[LewisM]

At least we know that after Mars and teaching he went on to a frozen ice world, before killing himself in a airlock explosion. See, he didn't learn on Mars.

[graham.hobart]

I took my 77yr old Dad to see it- he hasn't been to the Cinema since 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit", he absolutely loved it.
I am a fan of the book and was a little upset by the skipping of certain plot lines and the introduction of others. However. for the sake of narrative in the Movie I can see why they did it.
I am of the opinion that for me, the movie and the book are separate enjoyable events.
I thought the movie was great actually and will be watching it again just to soak up the details.
Like other book adaptations sometimes the movie-isation happens to please Producers/ investors or else the flick wouldn't be made at all.
I am still waiting with baited breath for film adaptations of the Wasp Factory (script optioned 2011)and The Forge Of God (script working 2010), apparently only 5% of scripts optioned ever get made.
I am glad this got made and as I said, I really enjoyed it.:thumbsup:
Graham

[JimsShed]

I loved the audible book when it came out a bit back. I listen to them rather than the car radio these days. This story was so enthralling I looked forward to driving to and from work !
I knew the movie couldn't pack all that goodness into a couple of hours, but I still loved the movie. I thought the mars landscape scenes were very well done.

[sil]

Didn't read the book and don't care for "opinions", the movie was great.

[75BC]

I haven’t read this book or seen this movie yet. But. I find that movies based on books never live up to expectations. I think this is because when you read a book, a part of yourself goes into it, in that you must use your imagination to ‘bring it to life’. You create everything in your head, from scenery, what people look like, sounds, smells, etc. Like a lot of things, if you don’t expect too much, you won’t be disappointed.

Steven King’s ‘The Shining’ (I’m reading now) is a famous example of when an author is not happy with a screen adaptation, even though it’s considered a classic. King was so unhappy that he made his own version. I got King’s version out on video (yes old VHS) when it came out. 3 cassettes and about 7 or 8 hours worth. :eyepop:

[firstlight]

Thanks for you opinoin ;)