I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely....
I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely. While not paramount to the core emotional story of Ryland and Rocky, those details really breathed some extra depth into the story.
To me it was a story about friendship and ingenuity at the edges of space. The film only did a good job at capturing the former. Without any time on the theorizing and the experimentation, it felt like an emotional montage and never breathed in the moment.
All that said, I was still a teary eyed mess most of the film. Had fun, would watch again!
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type...
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type films that doesn't really take any risks.
I would've loved a little slower pace, a few more quiet thinky moments, that kind of thing. Hard to see how to fit that into the already-long two and a half hours, but a guy can dream.
I did really enjoy it though, and I'm so glad they didn't change the ending (either the revelation about how Grace came to be on the mission, or his final choice).
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so...
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so desire, but if you want to catch it on streaming, it has lots of vibes from the Martian of science guy doing science if that helps you make your decision.
Spoiler Alert
Rocky is a fun little guy, and makes the road trip in space work. There’s some discussion about how it makes him more of a sidekick than it does in the book, and I can see it if I squint, maybe. But that’s part and parcel of an adaptation, it means someone’s favorite scene is getting cut, and I think the film did good enough with what it had. Should they have done the pseudo romance with Strautt and Grace, and was the karaoke scene necessary? I can see why people would hate it, but I think it makes the knife twist work better. Similarly, a lot of Grace and Rocky shooting the shit and comparing cultural notes got compressed, and that’s sad, but unless they wanted a full blown multi episode installment, they couldn’t get it all in, and they did the best with what they had. Plus glossing over Grace’s last spacewalk was probably for the best.
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film. The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem...
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film.
The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem solving. I don't think that translates as easily to film without becoming The Edison Twins. Gosling's mainstream work is usually very safe/accessible... I'm ready for him to do another Drive or Only God Forgives.
I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely. While not paramount to the core emotional story of Ryland and Rocky, those details really breathed some extra depth into the story.
To me it was a story about friendship and ingenuity at the edges of space. The film only did a good job at capturing the former. Without any time on the theorizing and the experimentation, it felt like an emotional montage and never breathed in the moment.
All that said, I was still a teary eyed mess most of the film. Had fun, would watch again!
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type films that doesn't really take any risks.
I would've loved a little slower pace, a few more quiet thinky moments, that kind of thing. Hard to see how to fit that into the already-long two and a half hours, but a guy can dream.
I did really enjoy it though, and I'm so glad they didn't change the ending (either the revelation about how Grace came to be on the mission, or his final choice).
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so desire, but if you want to catch it on streaming, it has lots of vibes from the Martian of science guy doing science if that helps you make your decision.
Spoiler Alert
Rocky is a fun little guy, and makes the road trip in space work. There’s some discussion about how it makes him more of a sidekick than it does in the book, and I can see it if I squint, maybe. But that’s part and parcel of an adaptation, it means someone’s favorite scene is getting cut, and I think the film did good enough with what it had. Should they have done the pseudo romance with Strautt and Grace, and was the karaoke scene necessary? I can see why people would hate it, but I think it makes the knife twist work better. Similarly, a lot of Grace and Rocky shooting the shit and comparing cultural notes got compressed, and that’s sad, but unless they wanted a full blown multi episode installment, they couldn’t get it all in, and they did the best with what they had. Plus glossing over Grace’s last spacewalk was probably for the best.
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film.
The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem solving. I don't think that translates as easily to film without becoming The Edison Twins. Gosling's mainstream work is usually very safe/accessible... I'm ready for him to do another Drive or Only God Forgives.