I did a quick search and this has been mentioned briefly, far as I can tell, across the forums, but no proper thread.

Who else is excited for this movie?

The book was excellent. No bullshit, one of the best stories I've ever read*.

*Note: That doesn't mean best books written, technically or otherwise, just that the story is fucking awesome.

READ THE BOOK!

Here's the blurb:

I've posted it here because I'm very excited for the movie, starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, the protagonist. It comes out in a few weeks. Here is the latest and final trailer for the movie, which actually does a great job of not spoiling the plot.

Awesome trailer.

 

I still think Matt Damon as Mark Watney is weird casting but I'm super excited for this movie. Everything I've heard says the movie is going to be good too (95% on Rotten Tomatoes with 23 reviews in).

 

I'm looking forward to see exactly how Hollywood will manage to shove a love story into a movie about a solitary man being stuck on a desolate planet.

Not so sure if I like what that line implies. There was a running theme of Whatney being part of one of the later missions when it's no longer prestigious to be an astronaut on mars. That is until there is a juicy tragedy for the general populace to grab onto.

 

Heh. That was actually the blurb from the book.

If I recall right, he was about the 16th person to walk on Mars. But yeah, at that point the public don't give Shit 1 until it looks like he's fucked.

 

I read the book. I think the movie adaptation is actually going to be better from what we've been shown so far. While the book (story wise) was interesting, I felt like the character of Whatney is really too stable psychologically to have survive so long alone on another planet. Either way, really looking forward to it.

 

Now that's interesting. Because what I got from the book was a character who was completely unhinged and willing to give Mars the middle finger for the situation he found himself in.

At no point did I think Watney was stable. Indeed, the fact he was willing to 'science the shit' out of his Hab and

Spoiler

turn rocket fuel into water and insodoing create a bomb out of his only living space

speaks volumes to the fact that only someone willing to risk the unstable absurd could survive.

 

Oh. Okay than. I was worried about them changing the tone a bit too much, but I guess it's unfounded.

 

I'm more excited for this than SW, mostly because I kind of know what I'm getting.

Curious ppl think Damon is a weird casting. He does dorky funny well, I think.

Also find stable claim confusing, but understandable. His 'crazy' moments aren't really relayed in book because he's 'reporting' shortly after them, so we don't get that side of things much.

I've gone media blackout (as I do with every movie now), so I'm unsure how they're doing it, but it can't be the same as the book.

Spoiler

I imagine we'll get some proper angst as it happens in real time, like when the hab blows

.

But yeah, can't fucking wait!

 

After I saw the first trailer months back I got the book and read it in one sitting. It's not the best book from a technical standpoint, but it's a fantastic story. I can't wait to see the movie. I hope the screenwriter who adapted it is creative in his retelling, as many scenes and the general framing device won't translate well on the screen.

 

I think Hugplx might have hit on what was bothering me. The fact that we don't ever actually SEE what's happening to Whatney and it's only reported in the form of a journal. It kind of made his big moments seem less grandiose and his breakdown more manageable, which in retrospective were relatively crazy indeed.

 

That's why a good screenwriter is necessary. If The Martian is really true to the book, ninety minutes of it will be Matt Damon writing entry logs. I presume whoever is adapting it understands the importance of "show" over "tell," though.

I don't fault the book for that, by the way. It was originally a blog, and when he finished his fans said if he made it into an ebook they'd pay to read it in that format. It then sold so successfully that it got picked up by a publisher and printed. That's incredible, so I don't begrudge the novel when the author gets a little wonkish about a hard-SF Mars trip, or about the limitations of the framing device.

 

I swear he actually says something like 'Ok, I'm done freaking out now' or something to that affect on several occasions.

 

Yeah, usually it goes something like:

Spoiler

"I've solved the last life-threatening problem. Everything's turning up Watney!"

"OH GOD NO! BY FIXING THAT PROBLEM, I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF ANOTHER WAY!"

"Okay, now I've had time to calm down, I think I know how to fix this.

"I've solved the last life-threatening problem. Everything's turning up Watney!"

He goes through a few of those, but I didn't mind it in the book, especially as the character gets far more comfortable with those situations over the course of the novel.

 

This was easily the best book I read last year (in the same sense as Joe said; not necessarily the best written, but holy hell was it gripping). I've been pushing the film on people ever since they announced it. Can't wait - it's even pushing past my wariness of Scott and space, post Prometheus.

 

I honestly wasn't sure about how well it would translate to a movie, for reasons everyone has already touched on, but every trailer and feature story about it I've seen has been great - all the mini-movies, the clips about the main characters, and all that. I'll be there with the bells on.

I thought Matt Damon was the perfect choice for Watney.

 

Here's an interview with Andy Weir, the writer, conducted by Adam Savage. In case anyone didn't see it. Can't remember if there were spoilers, so tread carefully.

 

Just found the viral marketing Youtube page that's supposed to be videos from the Ares Missions, especially Ares 3 pre-Mars. First one I saw was this one. No spoilers, but pretty funny. Watching through them, I think they're really gonna bring the characters to life (which, face it, the non-Watney non-Houston characters had very little development).

EDIT: The "tour of the Hermes" is pretty good too.

 

So, having not read the book but finding the movie's premise intriguing, would I be correct in saying that this movie is basically "Cast Away IN SPACE!"

 

Sort of, but not really. He has a plan for getting himself rescued pretty much instantly and from there on he is working towards that goal. It focuses more on human ingenuity instead of spirit being able to overcome all obstacles.

Edit: Also, as was shown in the trailer, he isn't the only character. There is the ares crew, as well as number of scientists and functionaries in Nasa and other space agencies. Don't know how much they will feature in the movie though.

 

Reviews are coming out. RT is at 97%, but no 'top critics' yet from what I see.