True, some ideas are out there (like the computer hack), but they definitely are in the realm of (remotely) plausible.
I read the book a year ago. Didn't like it at all. Boring and repetitive:
1) Identify big problem.
2) Solve big problem.
3) Repeat.
Sorry, I know I'm in the minority, but the book sucked.
I read the book a year ago. Didn't like it at all. Boring and repetitive:
1) Identify big problem.
2) Solve big problem.
3) Repeat.
Sorry, I know I'm in the minority, but the book sucked.
I'm with you. The Martian was such a letdown for me with all the positive reviews. You hit on my biggest issue with the book, but the tone of the protagonist was also unbearable.
"LOG ENTRY: SOL 10
So today I discovered [big problem] that will probably kill me within the next couple days. But oh well I'm pretty much dead already LOL!!"
"LOG ENTRY: SOL 11
Remember that big problem I discovered yesterday?!?? I totally solved it by [technical jargon]. Man I am so smart!!!!"
Repeat for 400 pages.
I read the book a year ago. Didn't like it at all. Boring and repetitive:
1) Identify big problem.
2) Solve big problem.
3) Repeat.
Sorry, I know I'm in the minority, but the book sucked.
I really enjoyed the book and look forward to the movie. Not sure I'd have picked Matt Damon though...
Also the author, Andy Weir, wrote one of my favorite short story pieces ever, The Egg:
http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html
Well worth the 5-10 minutes it will take you to read.
I enjoyed the book, but I'm concerned about the adaptation. I think part of the reason the book was so enjoyable was because of the lighthearted narrative tone in the journal entries. For me, the voice (Watney's) absolutely made the book, and I think it will be difficult to recreate that tone in the film. I expect the movie to be way more big-budget action blockbuster than man-against-Mars.
I enjoyed the book, but I'm concerned about the adaptation. I think part of the reason the book was so enjoyable was because of the lighthearted narrative tone in the journal entries. For me, the voice (Watney's) absolutely made the book, and I think it will be difficult to recreate that tone in the film. I expect the movie to be way more big-budget action blockbuster than man-against-Mars.
Agree, especially with the casting of Matt Damon, I think they'll focus more action than the nerd-charm that made the book so endearing.
I enjoyed the book, but I'm concerned about the adaptation. I think part of the reason the book was so enjoyable was because of the lighthearted narrative tone in the journal entries. For me, the voice (Watney's) absolutely made the book, and I think it will be difficult to recreate that tone in the film. I expect the movie to be way more big-budget action blockbuster than man-against-Mars.
Wait! Watney has a wife and kid in the movie?? That puts a totally different spin on it :(
No, he doesn't have a wife and kids in the movie.
No, he doesn't have a wife and kids in the movie.
Co-worker at work assured me of this, thank goodness. She said it was simply "creative editing" on the parts of the trailer-makers.
I've heard nothing but great things about the movie, that it's quite faithful to the book (except for something at the end?), keeps a lot of the nerdy feel, but is also a great action movie. Very high praise from many people. Anyone see it?
Arebelspy, you read it in a plane flight? Geez I need to work on reading faster...
Also, I think they absolutely nailed their target audience. Andy Weir is a young engineer and writes his first novel about overcoming difficult technical challenges in a realistic new-frontier setting. That rings bells with about 75% of the people I know.
I read the book a year ago. Didn't like it at all. Boring and repetitive:
1) Identify big problem.
2) Solve big problem.
3) Repeat.
Sorry, I know I'm in the minority, but the book sucked.
I'm with you. The Martian was such a letdown for me with all the positive reviews. You hit on my biggest issue with the book, but the tone of the protagonist was also unbearable.
"LOG ENTRY: SOL 10
So today I discovered [big problem] that will probably kill me within the next couple days. But oh well I'm pretty much dead already LOL!!"
"LOG ENTRY: SOL 11
Remember that big problem I discovered yesterday?!?? I totally solved it by [technical jargon]. Man I am so smart!!!!"
Repeat for 400 pages.
I live in a great Bay Area city. Our libraries run a rockin' One City, One Book program every summer. Hundreds of people read the book, then in the Fall, there are discussions and related programs throughout the community.
"The MartIan" is this year's selection. We were really hoping to have a program with the author, as he lives about an hour or so from here. Alas, he declined our offer. Seems he's so behind on his next book deadline that he's refusing all requests.
Seems to me if you're an author and a whole city is reading your book, you wouldn't mind basking in a few hours of adulation. OTOH, once your book's been made into a successful movie starring Matt Damon, it might change things.
Still, we're not giving up hope that he will get caught up on his next book and change his mind. Hell, we'll send a car and buy him dinner. Oh well, we can dream, can't we?
If anyone knows him (you never know, perhaps he's a mustachian), we're still hoping he'll change his mind, even on short(-ish) notice.
Seems to me if you're an author and a whole city is reading your book, you wouldn't mind basking in a few hours of adulation. OTOH, once your book's been made into a successful movie starring Matt Damon, it might change things.
That's how the movie felt to me. It consists of snippets of big problems and snippets of solving the big problems, which is quite boring.
The great thing about the book is how all the details are portrayed. All the analysis of how the awful situation came to be. All the survivability estimation. Those great, detailed descriptions of how the big failures developed, unnoticed.Spoiler: show
And, of course, the process of figuring out how to fix it all. The movie, of course, lacked almost all of the details, turning it all into a bland recollection of events with almost no drama.The whole point, to me, was that bunch of lovely, lovely engineering going on all the time. It probably takes a specific mindset to appreciate all of this, so yeah. A book for those who are into engineer-porn.
There were a few key turning points in the film that were badly telegraphed about 30 seconds before they happened. I understand the need to build tension with music and stuff, but it felt clumsy to have a character say something like "well it might be okay as long as scenario A doesn't happen" and then immediately cut to the location where scenario A is about to happen as the music continues to build
And I think Damon missed a golden opportunity to win major acting cred by actually undertaking a weight loss regime ala Christian Bale to get super skinny for the role, instead of using obvious body doubles. Dropping like 50 pounds for a movie is like guaranteed oscar material these days, but I suppose famous rich people can't be bothered to diet.