K-SCORE: 88
Director: Ridley Scott
Based on: The Martian by Andy Weir
Starring: Matt Damon, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Michael Pena
Spoiler Level: Moderate
I don’t really like the inevitable debate or really just deference to the fact that a novel is superior to a film. I, of course, enjoyed reading The Martian more than watching it as there is far more depth, more hours of fun, and even greater amusement per hour, but the film is a tribute, a multi-million dollar spectacle celebrating Weir’s genius, so it is wonderful too. If I didn’t like to read (apart from being a quite different person), and this was the first time I’d absorbed the story, I can imagine being pleasantly surprised by its greatness. The story has profound love for its subject matter, a courageous and uplifting plot, and superb sense of humor.
Ridley Scott and co. elected to change a few minor things (most of which didn’t bother me much at all) and they had to truncate the challenges that Watney faced on Mars to fit the story into a two hour block, which was sad, but ultimately it’s a good adaptation.
The only significant problem with the film version is, because they have to spend a good portion of the film with the crew in space and NASA back on Earth, there is proportionally less Watney. In the book it’s about 85-15 Watney to other characters, and at the beginning of the book is 100-0 Watney to others. This allows for the feelings of unprecedented isolation and the accompanying loneliness to come forth more easily. You don’t get quite the same sense of just how stranded this astronaut is when watching the film.
But, they added the denouement I craved at the end of the novel, which was nice. It’s not the most thoughtful of denouements, could have been a little funnier with Watney at least, but it is pleasant nonetheless. Am I the only one who wants to see Watney interact with the girl at NASA whose job it was to watch him via satellite for all those months? I think they could have a special connection.