Just finished 'The Martian' and I liked the book way more than the movie

I finally read 'The Martian' after watching the movie a few years back. My book club mostly said the film did it better because of the visuals and Matt Damon's acting. But I read the book last month and the step-by-step problem solving on page 147 about the potato farm was way more gripping than the movie scene. The book makes you feel his isolation with all those log entries, while the movie rushes through the science to get to the action. Has anyone else here felt the book version beats out a popular adaptation for the same reasons?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahjenkins2mo ago

Ha, guess I need to stop skipping steps in my own life like Watney.

the_ben26d ago

Oh man, actually that's not quite right about Watney. He doesn't really skip steps, he's super methodical about everything he does. Like when he's figuring out how to make water or grow potatoes, he breaks every problem down into tiny pieces and checks his math twice. If anything the lesson is more about not giving up when things go wrong and being creative with what you've got. But I get what you're going for with the comparison.

torres.jason2mo ago

Man, YES. I had the EXACT same thing happen with "Jurassic Park" - book blew the movie out of the water for me. The science and tension in the novel felt so much deeper, like you're actually stuck on that island with the characters instead of just watching cool dinosaurs roar. That log entry format in The Martian really makes you feel every single problem Watney faces, the movie just can't match that slow burn dread and triumph.