ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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One of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time is Robinson Crusoe on Mars. And now this movie comes along, a brilliant and heartwarming story that is basically a remake in the best sense of the word. It expands the concept way beyond the straightforward survival story and turns it into a team effort on the part of mankind to do something incredibly brave and noble.

Matt Damon does a great job doing exactly what Paul Mantee did — demonstrating just how courageous a man can be under extreme circumstances.

This is science fiction at its very best.

The designs of the spaceship, the spacesuits, the interiors, and the Mars rover are absolutely gorgeous. I'm a design junkie; to me a well-crafted tool is just as beautiful as a work of art.

Speaking of which, the special effects are pure works of art too, making this movie as inspiring to look at as it is to think about.

Ridley Scott gave me exactly what I want from a science fiction film. It's pure art, pure intellect, pure optimism, and pure nobility. This was as inspiring as the Disney "science fact" episodes from the 1950s — and by God, we need it!



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

I agree. The only criticism I could come up with for this movie was by virtue of having read the book first... something I always try to avoid.

The book conveyed the feeling of spending several hundred mission days on Mars. The movie, as movies do, had to condense the plot, which ended up making some of the crises out to be more like minor annoyances, and feeling more like a time span of two or three months; sort of what it might have been like if 2001 had been condensed down to a 1-hour TV time slot.
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...or not...

WayneO
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[Rick]

Agree completely. I saw this in the theater and just ate it up with a spoon. Matter of fact, if it had been like the old days, with continuous showings, I'd have stuck around to see it again.

It reminded me of some of Arthur C. Clarke's stuff, particularly early work like THE SANDS OF MARS; stories in which simple daily life and basic existence on alien planets makes up more of the story than does any drama or conflict.

As a fan of hard science-fiction...well...not that hard. Maybe semi- (cough cough), I love tales of humans dealing scientifically with seemingly insurmountable difficulties.

I 'spect I'll pick up a Blu-ray of this one, because I can imagine wanting to watch it several more times.
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Man need not kneel before the angels,
Nor lie in death forever,
But for the weakness of his feeble will.

[Bud Brewster]

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I would have bought it if I'd known how good it was. But I didn't have to, because I took advantage of Randy Everett's generous offer to burn a Blu-ray of it for anyone who was interested. I received it day before yesterday.

If I find out the commercial BD has good special features, I might still buy it. The movie is awesome!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Rocky Jones]

Well, it didn't win the best picture Oscar last night, but at least it won the Golden Globe last month for best comedy.

[Bud Brewster]

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By gum, it sure did. Sort of.

http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/martian
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

My wife tried out a recipe for vegan scalloped potatoes the other day (they're good!). My reaction on seeing the finished product was to rechristen them "Martian Potatoes".


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...or not...

WayneO
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[Bud Brewster]

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This is a great video about that amazing movie. You'll enjoy it, guys.

25 Facts You Didn't Know About The Martian


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Bud Brewster]

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These things are actually pretty funny even when the movie doesn't deserve to be ribbed.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[alltare]

THE MARTIAN is my kind of scifi -- believable science and no hysterics. I place it among my top 5 favorite science fiction movies.

[Bud Brewster]

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A 30-minute "Making of . . . " that's probably a bonus feature from the DVD. Enjoy!
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________ The Martian (2015) Behind the Scenes


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I found quite a few interesting trivia items for The Martian at IMDB.
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In the beginning, it is mentioned that a compromised space suit would cause decompression, giving someone about a minute to live. This is scientifically correct; contrary to popular belief, acute decompression in space or a planet with very low pressure like Mars does not cause the body to immediately explode or expand. Major effects include confusion, loss of consciousness and some subdermal bleeding, but it is generally agreed that a healthy human body can survive one minute in vacuum without life-threatening consequences.

Note from me: Well, well . . . the famous scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey really is quite possible.





The atmospheric pressure on the Martian surface averages 600 Pa (0.087 psi), about 0.6% of Earth's mean sea level pressure of 100 kPa (14.69 psi). It is so low that a "fierce storm", as they put it, would be something akin to a very light breeze messing up your hair. Author Andy Weir admitted this was his biggest inaccuracy in the story. Due to the low air density sound would not travel like it does on Earth and you would have to stand next to someone and scream for them to hear you, providing you could survive the freezing cold temperature, poisonous atmosphere and lack of pressure.

Note from me: Son of a gun, I never thought of this before. I knew the air was way too thin to breath, and I've read that the planet-wide dust storms we've heard about for years were not at all like dust storms on Earth. But the fact that the air is so thin you couldn't be heard by someone standing near you never occurred to me. I'll remember this the next time I watch the movie the picture below is from.





When NASA and Watney first establish written communication, Watney drops an F-bomb. He is warned to watch his language because everything he types is being broadcast globally. In the film, his response is not shown, only the reaction of others. In the novel, his response is, "Look! A pair of boobs! -> (.Y.) ".

Note from me: I wondered if the rest of a female torso could be drawn using characters like that. Turns out, it can!

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The film ends with Mark back on Earth acting as a teacher to a group of prospective astronauts. None of this is in the novel, which ends with the crew having rescued Watney, and beginning the trip back to Earth. Watney entering in his log, "This is the happiest day of my life."

Note from me: I LOVED the follow-up scenes at the end which showed how the rescue of the stranded astronaut inspired mankind's new interest in space exploration.

In both the movie and the novel, Watney grows his own food by planting potato eyes in the ground. He fertilizes the plants with human waste and creates liquid water for the crop out of rocket fuel. Given what is already known about Martian soil, there's no reason why this wouldn't work in real life. Bruce Bugbee, a botanist who's worked with NASA, told Tech Insider.

Note from me: Whenever I watch Conqust of Space I scoff at the notion that Sgt. Imoto could grow a flower on Mars. Admittedly he doesn't give the flower the kind of assistance which the astronaut in The Martian gave his potato plants, but I guess the concept isn't quiet so ridiculous after all!

And his reasons for wanting to try the experiment are eloquently described in the scene shown below — the one part of this movie which has well-written dialog, delivered with a fine piece of acting.

__________ Conquest of Space: Imoto's speech

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The Gloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive" that plays during the end credits is not only relevant due to its status as a loathed disco song and that Watney managed to survive all those months on the inhospitable surface of Mars. The song is also appropriate because it contains the phrase "And so you're back from outer space".

Note from me: Rock on, Gloria!

_________________________ I Will Survive


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)