Andy Weir’s futuristic story The Martian was an immediate hit when it was published during 2014, even with its acclaim, it made for a surprising selection to become a major cinematic release. Originally self-published, the novel relies extensively through the personal reflections of the space botanist and engineer protagonist Mark Watney while he meticulously explains regarding his survival methods after being stranded on Mars by farming spuds and pulling parts off former mission equipment. The novel features little conversation while rich in detailed accounts about molecular interactions.
However, filmmaker Ridley Scott along with screenwriter Drew Goddard delivered a captivating film with The Martian, which first screened ten years prior on October 2, 2015. The actor Matt Damon masterfully captures why Watney is such an absorbing lead character: his optimistic outlook combined with nerdy wit banish the existential dread facing circumstances where his likelihood of survival are extremely low. Much as the original story, the film presents highly realistic sci-fi, packed with humor and thrills. However, the filmmakers did have to make a few compromises for the screen, devoting extra attention to the NASA personnel trying to save Watney, and boosting the intensity of the ending. Those modifications resulted in the loss of two of the best segments from Weir’s original novel.
A Story About Calorie Counting
The Martian is a story about calorie counting. The protagonist constantly calculates his dietary needs he needs to live, as the space agency works to determine how to get him more. After an incident ruins the astronaut’s spud garden and a hastily assembled Mars-directed relief bundle blows up after launch, the stranded man’s last option is a save attempt by his former colleagues that unintentionally departed without him.
Both versions explicitly state that this approach, requiring the astronauts aboard Ares III slingshotting around the Earth and back to Mars to rescue Watney, is very perilous. Still, the author creates a stronger link between the danger facing all the astronauts.
The Dark Emergency Measure
The ship needs to catch its dedicated provision craft to obtain adequate supplies and liquids for the journey to Mars and return. Should that not work, the team possesses a dark backup scheme: each person excluding the systems analyst Beth Johanssen (played by Kate Mara in the film) would commit suicide. The lone survivor, Beth, due to her youth and petite size, would consume her teammates to stay alive. When the Ares III does get the supplies, the thankful team lightheartedly remarks on which member Beth might have consumed initially. That’s quite macabre wit, so the reasoning for its exclusion is apparent, but I still like the narrative tightness of forcing all these characters to grapple with the harsh realities of cosmic existence. It further shows their willingness to perish for one another, not just to save Watney.
The Tense Communication Blackout
The film adaptation also cuts the tensest section of The Martian to allocate additional runtime toward the saving endeavor elements that takes place in space. In the original text, the protagonist loses his ability to communicate with NASA, forcing him to rely solely on himself for the final section of the story. Watney then has to navigate to a vehicle intended for a future Mars mission. That voyage is threatened because of a particulate storm that will hinder his vehicle’s power cells from energizing and finally immobilize him. The space agency detects the incoming tempest, but is unable to notify him. They are kept in tense expectation to see if Watney will figure out the circumstances and adapt his approach, or if all of the work they did for his recovery will become futile.
Once more, it’s understandable this segment was removed from the cinematic version. Persistent exchanges among Watney and supporting roles enhances the movie’s energy. However, I still somewhat desire that Goddard and Scott had shown more courage and depended on Damon to carry sequences where he fights against the elements alone, with the supporting cast placed mirroring the spectators’ perspective: ineffectively praying for a positive outcome.
Looking Ahead to Future Adaptations
Goddard is returning to Weir’s work through a film version of his 2021 book Project Hail Mary, releasing in 2026 and directed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Like The Martian, the book focuses on an isolated astronaut employing his expertise and creativity to stay alive. Ryan Gosling will be filling the same role as Damon: a screen star engaging enough to maintain multiple isolated shots while landing Weir’s idiosyncratic humor. Hopefully, that film will match the quality of The Martian, but either way, it’s well worth reading the book to observe which elements fail to make the jump.
