# The Martian. Book or Movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927 "2018-04-23T00:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/21 "2018-04-23T11:49:08Z")
In my experience, it’s always better to watch the movie first and then read the book after, since if you like the movie then you’re just going to get more out of the book. Going the other direction, you’re just seeing a less complete version of something that you liked in its whole form. And if you don’t like the movie, then you don’t need to bother with the book. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/22 "2018-04-23T12:14:07Z")
I’d vote for the movie. The book ads a lot more complications which are very realistic and handled very well, but I felt detracted a bit from the dramatic build. The movie is just about perfect as far as pacing. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/23 "2018-04-23T12:18:04Z")
Book. The movie is pretty good, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/24 "2018-04-23T12:21:13Z")
I’ve neither read the book nor seen the movie, so I’m monitoring this thread carefully for recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/25 "2018-04-23T13:18:04Z")
The book teaches us how to create boobs in ASCII. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/26 "2018-04-23T13:42:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are you asking me which is My Favorite _Martian_? If nobody else will, I will acknowledge this. Well Done. Anyhoo, the book is better and you should read it if you are interested. Having said that, the movie is a faithful adaption and the scenes of the Mars landscape are quite well done. The movie does give sense of the visual scale and solitude he would have had. Plus, this is really a fun a role for Matt Damon. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/27 "2018-04-23T14:19:37Z")
The movie cuts out a lot (as need to fit in a two hour movie), but the book could also use a good editor. I remember there being a completely unnecessary chapter that was just the two NASA guys complaining about airport security. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/28 "2018-04-23T14:40:36Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Looks like a close call with the book slightly ahead so I’ll go that way. Then I’ll give the movie a shot. Thanks all! Another vote for the book, but it’s close - the movie is excellent as well. Here’s the thing, though. I saw the movie first, and then decided to read the book. When I read the book, I “heard” Matt Damon’s voice for all of Watney’s narration ! It actually made the book that much more enjoyable. As a side note: I just finished Weir’s 2nd book, “Artemis”, and it is nothing like “The Martian”. I was a bit disappointed, sad to say. There was some good science, as you’d expect, but felt a bit rushed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/29 "2018-04-23T14:51:58Z")
The ASCII boobs made it into the movie. (.)(.) ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/30 "2018-04-23T15:15:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The ASCII boobs made it into the movie. > > (.)(.) Did they? In the book, weren’t they during the first real convo with NASA? In the movie, Vincent tells him to watch his language, and the you see everyone reacting to Mark typing something, but not actually what he typed. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/31 "2018-04-23T15:50:18Z")
> [@cormac262](#): > > As a side note: I just finished Weir’s 2nd book, “Artemis”, and it is nothing like “The Martian”. I was a bit disappointed, sad to say. There was some good science, as you’d expect, but felt a bit rushed. I have yet to finish _Artemis_ as I found myself really loathing his protagonist, who - unlike Watney - did everything to herself. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/32 "2018-04-23T16:07:19Z")
My data point is that the book is better, but I also loved the movie, having seen the movie first. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/33 "2018-04-23T17:34:51Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > In my experience, it’s always better to watch the movie first and then read the book after, since if you like the movie then you’re just going to get more out of the book. Going the other direction, you’re just seeing a less complete version of something that you liked in its whole form. > > And if you don’t like the movie, then you don’t need to bother with the book. This is very good advice. > [@howye](#): > > …the [movie’s] scenes of the Mars landscape are quite well done. The movie does give sense of the visual scale and solitude he would have had… Definitely. The exteriors were filmed in Jordan: [The Martian (film) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)#Filming) ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/34 "2018-04-23T18:16:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The ASCII boobs made it into the movie. > > (.)(.) I believe the ASCII boobs he used was this: (.Y.) or this (oYo) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/35 "2018-04-23T20:31:05Z")
Saw the movie first, then read the book. The last time I was able to make it through a book for a movie I’d already seen would have been the first few Harry Potter books. So, pretty darn good in both forms, but a lot more backstory and detail in the book, as well as a few more unnecessary and boring parts. Love how he completely handwaved the biggest science gaff in the story, without which he wouldn’t have had a story. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/36 "2018-04-23T21:17:31Z")
I much preferred the book, which is true for me in almost all cases, with one exception. (_The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/37 "2018-04-23T21:19:45Z")
I agree that both the book and the movie are great and worth your time, but I have to give my vote to the book solely based on the ending. I saw the movie first, and was a little disappointed with the ending (the actual resolution of the problem – not the epilogue), and then read the book and was pleased that the ending made much more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/38 "2018-04-24T05:14:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > …Love how he completely handwaved the biggest science gaff[e] in the story, without which he wouldn’t have had a story. Do you mean the fact that even the strongest winds on Mars wouldn’t be much more than a light breeze on Earth, and not nearly bad enough to knock over a spaceship? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/39 "2018-04-24T10:10:34Z")
I enjoyed the book more. The movie screwed up the rescue rendezvous by overplaying the crappy improvised bomb to blow the door off and it just looked like a cookie-cutter Hollywood plot device. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927/40 "2018-04-24T12:42:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Love how he completely handwaved the biggest science gaff in the story, without which he wouldn’t have had a story. Weir has said he wishes he’d gone with an engine test failure/explosion instead, but not why he didn’t ask for that in the movie script too. A truly remarkable number of other things went right in both. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-book-or-movie/812927.md?page=3)