The Martian

[Impenitent]

I am very, very excited about this.

[Primula Baggins]

It definitely looks like they did a great job. I'm excited, too, because it's a brilliant story. It's written kind of dryly and not very visually, and that the story is still so gripping says a lot for it. From the trailer, the character and the story seem intact, which is vital. This movie has the potential to fill in precisely what was missing for me: strong visuals and emotion.

[Beutlin]

I have a hunch this movie will flop, both with critics and movie goers. Some of Matt Damon's lines from the trailer are truly atrocious ("In your face, Neil Armstrong!";"...science the shit out of this."). Who talks/writes like that besides bad pop-science writers on the Internet? I might be mistaken however and this film could still turn out to be good. The premise is full of potential and it is Ridley Scott, after all.

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[Primula Baggins]

The character is an out-and-out geek, not a strong silent hero, so the lines fit, in my view. The book and (from what I can see) the movie depend entirely on the fact that the character describes everything that happens to him verbally—the book, at least the part set on Mars, is largely a transcribed set of recordings, and we see him making recordings in the trailer. And his self-narration does include some geekiness and some goofy humor—because it's the character in his own words. And I remember a couple of points in the book where it's very clear that the lightness is helping him stay sane and hold off the fear.

[JewelSong]

Well, I just bought the book on Amazon...they had it on special for Kindle for $1.99. I'd like to read it before I see the movie and it sounds like a great read for a long plane ride.


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[Primula Baggins]

I hope you enjoy it, Jewel!

[Impenitent]

I bought the ebook a week ago, at full price. Ah well.

[Teremia]

I bought the ebook a couple of years ago, Impy, and also at full price! And then tore through it in record speed. It's not fancy wordsmithery or anything, but it sure does hold a person's attention (and make that person hold her breath).

[axordil]

One can tell a lot about a person's tastes by their reaction to The Martian. A number of people I know elsewhere thought it was slow, or couldn't get into the details, or otherwise failed to connect with it. It seems to be a litmus test for action-oriented vs. science-oriented SF readers.

[Primula Baggins]

I might put it as action-oriented versus ideas-oriented. The Martian is an example of how a book can be oriented toward ideas and still tell a gripping story.

I'm using "ideas" in the sense of "cool concepts and speculation and imagination" rather than "profound exploration of what it means to be human."

[axordil]

Wait, doesn't "cool concepts and speculation and imagination" mean "science?"

[Primula Baggins]

A subset, I'd say, but you have a point.

[Beutlin]

It appears my hunch was wrong: 33/34 positive reviews so far.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_martian/

Personally, I still have my doubts about whether I will see it or not.

[Impenitent]

I'm more excited about this one than I was for The Hobbit.

*runs from thread, ducking the rotten tomatoes*

[yovargas]

Metacritic is, as usual, a bit more cautious with a current good-not-great 76 based on 11 reviews.

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-mar ... ic-reviews

[Teremia]

I'm ready! Bring on this Mars, I say!

[Frelga]

I'm more excited about this one than I was for The Hobbit.

*runs from thread, ducking the rotten tomatoes*

* Runs with Impish *

From what I've seen so far, my only complaint about this movie is that Sebastian Stan is not in the main role.

[Impenitent]

This is about the book (The Martian, not The Hobbit) - we don't have a discussion thread for it and it's not worth starting one for my intended comment. I want to say...

Hidden text.

...I just got to Project Elrond, and I'm smiling all over my face. Also giggling.

[Frelga]

Neil deGrasse Tyson twitted this: "Evidence that the @MartianMovie is fantasy: All who make important decisions are scientifically literate."

[Primula Baggins]

Totally.

I hope to see this soon. My son will be seeing it tomorrow while I'm busy elsewhere.