Author Topic: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review  (Read 79195 times)

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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« on: October 01, 2015, 08:11:52 am »
Dave reviews the movie The Martian, based on the Andy Weir novel of the same name.
SPOILER ALERT: May contain spoilers of some form.

 

Offline bookaboo

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2015, 08:32:58 am »
As I don't want spoilers I assume from the still frame above that it's worth going to see?
 

Offline Psi

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2015, 08:34:23 am »
I'm definitely going to see this at the movies as opposed to downloading, i may even shell out for the ridiculously overpriced popcorn and frozen coke.

From everything i've been told, this movie is going to actually be good at a technical level :)
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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2015, 08:49:19 am »
From everything i've been told, this movie is going to actually be good at a technical level :)

Not as much technical stuff as I was expecting actually.
 

Offline firewalker

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2015, 09:12:43 am »
I didn't expect it to be as technical as the book. It targets more people.

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Offline Karel

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2015, 09:19:41 am »
I have read the book last summer on the beach. I liked it very much (the book and the beach).
Tonight I'm going to watch it in the bioscope  :)
 

Offline AndreasF

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2015, 12:14:34 pm »
 :-+

Watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not too surprised that they made it less technical than the book, though I do wonder if the significance of certain technical details came across for a non-technical audience.

There were a couple of scenes that I didn't like that much (e.g. right at the beginning after he returned to the HAB), but all in all it's a well-made film. I agree about the ending.

I think I'll read the book again over the next few weeks and watch it again (maybe in 3D this time).
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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2015, 12:54:02 pm »
I agree about the ending.

I forgot about one really silly bit near the end, must have erased that from my memory before leaving the theatre. They jumped the shark with the ironman thing.
 

Offline firewalker

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2015, 01:13:52 pm »
I am going to the theater now.  :D :D :D

Alexander.
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Offline drws

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2015, 05:26:37 pm »
Just finished the book in the last few minutes. Excellent read (thanks Dave and Firewalker for the recommendation).

Looks like it's rated 12A in the UK, so I guess some of the language has been toned down for the movie?
Would like to take my 8 year old if it's safe (not worried about the odd bit of foul language)
 

Offline firewalker

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2015, 06:28:18 pm »
Just came back. Really good movie.  I sure enjoyed it! They shouldn't have gone with the Ironman thing though.

I hope that they will release an extended version with couple hours more of geeky stuff!!!

Alexander.
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Offline nixxon

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2015, 06:52:18 pm »
It must have made a big impression, as Dave went directly from the movie theatre to his lab to make this eevBLAB   ;D

Love your enthusiasm, Dave  :-+ Keep it coming!

I will even try to convince my wife to join me on this one.
 

Offline HP-ILnerd

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2015, 09:16:23 pm »
I've no doubt the amount of science and engineering that actually made it into the movie was partially a result of test audiences.  If you look over at the critic reviews at Rottentomatoes.com you'll find a pleasantly large number of them who appreciated what they had, but some found it utterly (in one critic's words) impenetrable.  Some people who only went through the arts have zero background in science.  It's always going to be a tough thing to bring something like this to a broad audience.

Reminds me of Patton Oswalt's "Physics for Poets" bit.  No video but very NSFW languge:

 

Nonetheless, I hope the film inspires a lot of kids to get into science and engineering, even if they want to be artists. 
 

Offline Chris C

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2015, 09:40:26 pm »
Loved the book.  I always expect less from a movie by default, but it sounds like it's meeting or exceeding those expectations, so that's awesome.

Last book I read and subsequently saw the movie for was "John Dies At The End".  That conversion should have never been done without an essentially unlimited budget, mandatory LSD use, and possibly some help from Alejandro Jodorowsky.
 

Offline f5r5e5d

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #14 on: October 01, 2015, 10:30:03 pm »
tossed the book down after a few dozen pages, revised downward my opinion of people giving it glowing recs on "technical content"

of course I have a Biology degree, ~1/4 of my college course hours were wet labs - then I decided Science had too long a feedback/reward path and took Mech E courses for linear systems and controls - followed up with a career as practicing EE
« Last Edit: October 01, 2015, 10:40:29 pm by f5r5e5d »
 

Online coppice

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #15 on: October 02, 2015, 01:20:56 am »
I agree about the ending.
I forgot about one really silly bit near the end, must have erased that from my memory before leaving the theatre. They jumped the shark with the ironman thing.
The movie tries to keep technically realistic most of the time, with the main plots holes things essential to move the plot along (e.g. things happening on Mars apparently visible on CNN instantly, which they do point out can't happen). However, I found it interesting that the two key plot holes start and end the drama. The storm that sets things off at the beginning is implausibly strong for a thin atmosphere (no spoiler there - its the very beginning), and there's a jet of gas used at the end in a way that is implausibly well controlled (not much of a spoiler there. I avoided saying very much). It seemed like lazy storytelling, when the rest was done fairly well.
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #16 on: October 02, 2015, 01:27:48 am »
Yeah, that was pretty much the conclusion I came to as well. Thanks for the spoiler alert, but why even have them in a movie review? You're potentially going to encourage people to go see the movie. Spoilers would not be helpful.

I don't think there are any real spoilers in my review. But some people get, you know, all up tight about such things so it's a generic disclaimer for those dumb enough to watch a review and then complain it ruined there experience  ::)
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #17 on: October 02, 2015, 01:31:49 am »
The movie tries to keep technically realistic most of the time, with the main plots holes things essential to move the plot along (e.g. things happening on Mars apparently visible on CNN instantly, which they do point out can't happen). However, I found it interesting that the two key plot holes start and end the drama. The storm that sets things off at the beginning is implausibly strong for a thin atmosphere (no spoiler there - its the very beginning)

But that's the whole (admittedly false by Weir) premise of the book. It's not the movie making this up.

Quote
, and there's a jet of gas used at the end in a way that is implausibly well controlled (not much of a spoiler there. I avoided saying very much). It seemed like lazy storytelling, when the rest was done fairly well.

Yes, I rolled my eyes when they decided to add this bit. I though it was unnecessary, as obviously did Weir in his bit. There was already enough suspense and things that went wrong in the whole sequence, they didn't have to add another silly element.
 

Online coppice

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2015, 01:42:28 am »
The movie tries to keep technically realistic most of the time, with the main plots holes things essential to move the plot along (e.g. things happening on Mars apparently visible on CNN instantly, which they do point out can't happen). However, I found it interesting that the two key plot holes start and end the drama. The storm that sets things off at the beginning is implausibly strong for a thin atmosphere (no spoiler there - its the very beginning)

But that's the whole (admittedly false by Weir) premise of the book. It's not the movie making this up.
As the story unfolds we find that although the crew were only to be on Mars for 30 Mars days, the ascent rocket had been there several years waiting for them. So, they sent a robot ship to Mars that would carefully land itself on a suitable flat surface close to where they wanted the manned mission to land, settle itself down to an idle state, and keep itself in flight ready condition for several years. However, they sent one that could be blown over in a storm? I could expand on how big a plot hole that is, but it involves definite spoilers.
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2015, 01:46:59 am »
As the story unfolds we find that although the crew were only to be on Mars for 30 Mars days, the ascent rocket had been there several years waiting for them.

Yes, that's actually part of the plan for several real viable Mars missions, like Mars Direct for example.
But yes, it's a plot hole with the whole wind thing. Weir knew that but couldn't figure out a better way to do it.
 

Offline HP-ILnerd

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #20 on: October 02, 2015, 01:59:26 am »
As the story unfolds we find that although the crew were only to be on Mars for 30 Mars days, the ascent rocket had been there several years waiting for them.

Yes, that's actually part of the plan for several real viable Mars missions, like Mars Direct for example.
But yes, it's a plot hole with the whole wind thing. Weir knew that but couldn't figure out a better way to do it.

He mentioned recently that had he known that Martian storms can generate lightning (which a NASA guy told him long after the book came out), that he totally would have went with that.  All he was concerned with was Nature getting the first punch. 
 

Online coppice

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #21 on: October 02, 2015, 02:28:21 am »
As the story unfolds we find that although the crew were only to be on Mars for 30 Mars days, the ascent rocket had been there several years waiting for them.

Yes, that's actually part of the plan for several real viable Mars missions, like Mars Direct for example.
But yes, it's a plot hole with the whole wind thing. Weir knew that but couldn't figure out a better way to do it.
He mentioned recently that had he known that Martian storms can generate lightning (which a NASA guy told him long after the book came out), that he totally would have went with that.  All he was concerned with was Nature getting the first punch.
A ship built to sit in an idle state, maintaining itself in flight ready condition, for several years would need to be built to withstand the severest of lightning strikes, whether its on the Earth or on Mars. Haven't these people ever heard of EMI/ESD/EMC testing?  :)
« Last Edit: October 02, 2015, 02:48:46 am by coppice »
 

Offline GK

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #22 on: October 02, 2015, 03:36:20 am »
Have seen the trailer on TV in an advert break. Looks like standard Hollywood fare - and the films hero even used the word science as a verb!  :palm:   
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Offline LukeW

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #23 on: October 02, 2015, 08:33:53 am »
Just finished the book in the last few minutes. Excellent read (thanks Dave and Firewalker for the recommendation).

Looks like it's rated 12A in the UK, so I guess some of the language has been toned down for the movie?
Would like to take my 8 year old if it's safe (not worried about the odd bit of foul language)

Yeah, almost all the bad language in the book is taken out.

We can put a man on Mars, but he's not allowed to swear on the comms back to NASA :)

It generally remains true to the book, except for generally being shorter and having some scenes stripped down or glossed over, which is what you'd expect with just about any book-to-film adaptation, especially a geeky one.

Love the way he's just cavalier about handling hydrazine inside the hab without any protective clothing - that stuff will get you seven different kinds of dead well before you've extracted enough hydrogen to start a fire/explosion from the hydrogen.

Does this forum software have "spoiler tags"?

It's pretty good :)
 

Offline AndreasF

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Re: eevBLAB#15 - The Martian Movie Review
« Reply #24 on: October 02, 2015, 09:47:55 am »
Just finished the book in the last few minutes. Excellent read (thanks Dave and Firewalker for the recommendation).

Looks like it's rated 12A in the UK, so I guess some of the language has been toned down for the movie?
Would like to take my 8 year old if it's safe (not worried about the odd bit of foul language)

Yeah, almost all the bad language in the book is taken out.
...

I liked how they shot one particular outburst from the outside of the rover so you couldn't hear what he was saying, but still clearly see it.   ;D
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