Movie 'The Martian' Preview is out

Last year my favorite book was (sorry DW and EF) was "The Martian" by Andrew Wier. It was simply the best 'Marooned' story I have ever read, hands down. Hard Science fiction and staying within the laws of physics (well, mostly) and still making a dramatic story. If you haven't read it yet, get thee to a bookstore/library/kindle and do so posthaste. You will not regret it.

And now they have made a movie of it. See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI

Reason I mentioning it is that here is a 'real-time using real-physics' SF story based on a novel, and if it is successful (and I am hoping it is), that could help get Hollywood executives to consider another SF novel that uses 'real' physics and move it into the fast track for development and production (wink, wink, nod, nod...).

Again, read the book. Then buy a copy for a friend/family member/library.

The Martian is really good. It's competence porn, like a fictional version of "Lost Moon" by James Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger.

It's also really funny.

Hutch wrote:Reason I mentioning it is that here is a 'real-time using real-physics' SF story based on a novel, and if it is successful (and I am hoping it is), that could help get Hollywood executives to consider another SF novel that uses 'real' physics and move it into the fast track for development and production (wink, wink, nod, nod...).

I don't think that's what's happening. The Martian was put into development right around the time Christopher Nolan started work on Interstellar; I see this film more in the continuity of that or Gravity than a sign of a renewed interest in so-called hard SF. What these movies are doing is to try to recapture the spirit of the Apollo days or "The Right Stuff"; which kinda fits into the renewed interest in space exploration that people like Elon Musk are trying to make happen.

That's not to say I am not hoping this does super well, or that if it does, more films like it get made (I am actually really hyped about the prospect of getting more optimistic space films out there), but I just want to caution that the decision of whether or not to make another one has little to do with the success or lack thereof of this film and more to do with a perception amongst moviemakers that this is the sort of stuff people want to see again. For which the success of this is a good indicator, granted, but it's not the only one.

There's only one big caution mark for this film, and that's Ridley Scott. Dude doesn't have the best track record as of late.

I did read the book and did not like parts of it. Sometimes the hardest thing for mankind to do in a terrible situation is ... to do nothing. In the novel they should NOT have done what they did.

Very sad but very true. The first thing we need to learn and understand about space and alien planets is that good people will die. Don't make it worse. Sometimes you gotta cut and run.

I also have noticed that some recent books tend to glorify the warm, cozzy, fuzzy, nice feeling of doing some good at the risk of doing much greater harm. Bad odds all around. Just me. HB of CJ

HB of CJ wrote:I did read the book and did not like parts of it. Sometimes the hardest thing for mankind to do in a terrible situation is ... to do nothing. In the novel they should NOT have done what they did.

Very sad but very true. The first thing we need to learn and understand about space and alien planets is that good people will die. Don't make it worse. Sometimes you gotta cut and run.

That's rather callous, if you ask me. It's easy for humans to do nothing when entire countries on the line (the whole "one person is a tragedy, a million a statistic" thing), but if it's one person? One person who is doing heroic feats of pioneering? One that the entire world watches through satellite cameras? There's an emotional connection that gets build that overrides economic decisions.

The whole moral of the book is that certain tragedies cause humans to work together. It is intentionally set up to be uplifting in that sense, and the pragmatic solution would have made for a crappy story, to be frank.

I'd much rather live on a planet of people who are willing to go to great risks to save each other than one ruled by cold pragmatists, all things considered.

The whole moral of the book is that several people screwed up. No ... MANY people screwed up. Then they make things worserer by doing what they did. I do not want to spoil the book or movie for others.

Life boat rules. Do you know what that means? What I find curious is that it appears to be a repeated theme in recent otherwise good books and films that risking all to save little is OK.

Very bad in the real world. I am now reading a fairly new to me other theme science fiction novel. Two characters are in a life or death situation on a hostile planet. They find some edible plants.

They take just a portion of what is available to eat and leave the rest of the plant ... so it can grow back and live? Well ... what about the lives of the two people? Is a plant more important?

My feeble failed point here is that Hollywood tends to make films to make people feel warm and fuzzy with characterizaton of roles and behavior that is rewarded that could leave all DEAD!!

Very dumb. Again, life boat rules. A unique and dangerous situation. Mob rule and touchy feelie feelings do not enter into it. Such behavior in the real world will fail every time.

Thus my point. Hollywood is disconnecting. A story line can be good without all the silly illogical stupid decision making processes of the characters. Just me. Respectfully. HB

HB of CJ wrote:The whole moral of the book is that several people screwed up. No ... MANY people screwed up. Then they make things worserer by doing what they did. I do not want to spoil the book or movie for others.

Life boat rules. Do you know what that means? What I find curious is that it appears to be a repeated theme in recent otherwise good books and films that risking all to save little is OK.

Very bad in the real world. I am now reading a fairly new to me other theme science fiction novel. Two characters are in a life or death situation on a hostile planet. They find some edible plants.

They take just a portion of what is available to eat and leave the rest of the plant ... so it can grow back and live? Well ... what about the lives of the two people? Is a plant more important?

My feeble failed point here is that Hollywood tends to make films to make people feel warm and fuzzy with characterizaton of roles and behavior that is rewarded that could leave all DEAD!!

Very dumb. Again, life boat rules. A unique and dangerous situation. Mob rule and touchy feelie feelings do not enter into it. Such behavior in the real world will fail every time.

Thus my point. Hollywood is disconnecting. A story line can be good without all the silly illogical stupid decision making processes of the characters. Just me. Respectfully. HB

Are you aware of the Tom Godwin story "The Cold Equations" short story from 1954? http://www.spacewesterns.com/articles/105/
A short but sobering read of what real laws really are.

Hutch wrote:Last year my favorite book was (sorry DW and EF) was "The Martian" by Andrew Wier. It was simply the best 'Marooned' story I have ever read, hands down. Hard Science fiction and staying within the laws of physics (well, mostly) and still making a dramatic story. If you haven't read it yet, get thee to a bookstore/library/kindle and do so posthaste. You will not regret it.

And now they have made a movie of it. See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI

Reason I mentioning it is that here is a 'real-time using real-physics' SF story based on a novel, and if it is successful (and I am hoping it is), that could help get Hollywood executives to consider another SF novel that uses 'real' physics and move it into the fast track for development and production (wink, wink, nod, nod...).

Again, read the book. Then buy a copy for a friend/family member/library.

I like XKCD's take on this - I too loved this scene in Apollo 13 and the one with the iterative effort to reboot the Apollo Command Capsule on the limited electrical budget!


PS: Anybody give guidance on shrinking the 'img' size?

Thank you Charybdis. I did just now quickly scan it. Looks like a short story? Be interesting to read indeed. HB

I read The Martian after it was mentioned on this forum, my opinion of the book:
Ayyyyyy!

Grabthar's Hammer wrote:I read The Martian after it was mentioned on this forum, my opinion of the book:
Ayyyyyy!

Now this is REALLY an inside joke!