Andy Weir’s futuristic story The Martian Tale quickly topped the charts upon its release in 2014, although widely loved, it seemed an unusual pick to become a major cinematic release. Originally self-published, the novel relies extensively on the inner thoughts of the space botanist and engineer the character Mark Watney detailing with great care about how he survives after being stranded on the red planet by growing potatoes and dismantling pieces of vintage space agency rovers. The book is light on dialogue and heavy on explanations of chemical reactions.
However, filmmaker Ridley Scott and scribe Drew Goddard delivered a captivating film in The Martian, which first screened ten years prior on October 2, 2015. Matt Damon perfectly embodies the essence of Watney’s engaging heroism: his positive mindset along with technical jokes push away the survival anxiety in a scenario where his odds of survival are extremely low. Similar to the source novel, the picture delivers believable futuristic fiction, filled with laughs and excitement. However, the filmmakers did have to make a few compromises for the screen, devoting extra attention to the space agency staff attempting to rescue Watney, and adding more action to the climax. And those changes came at the expense from two of the finest sections from Weir’s original novel.
A Narrative Focused on Food Rations
The Red Planet Odyssey revolves around food management. Watney obsesses over how much food necessary to stay alive, as the space agency works to determine how to get him more. When an accident destroys the astronaut’s spud garden and a rapidly put-together interplanetary care package blows up after launch, Watney’s only hope becomes a retrieval effort from his team who accidentally left him behind.
Both the book and movie make it clear that this approach, requiring the astronauts aboard Ares III slingshotting around the Earth and back to Mars to rescue Watney, is highly dangerous. However, Weir draws a more direct parallel among the threats confronting every crew member.
The Morbid Contingency Plan
The spacecraft has to retrieve its dedicated provision craft to obtain adequate supplies and liquids to complete the round trip to the red planet. If that fails, the crew has a dark backup scheme: everyone except for computer specialist the character Beth Johanssen (acted by Kate Mara) would end their own lives. The lone survivor, Beth, because she’s the youngest and smallest, 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, yet I appreciate the story’s cohesion in making every character confront with the cruel nature of survival in space. It further shows their willingness to perish for one another, not merely to rescue Watney.
The Tense Communication Blackout
The film adaptation also cuts the tensest section of The Martian choosing to dedicate extra footage on the part of the rescue mission occurring in orbit. In the book, Watney loses his capacity to contact mission control, forcing him to rely solely on himself through the concluding segment of the plot. Watney must then travel to a vehicle intended for a future Mars mission. That voyage is threatened by a dust storm that will prevent his transport’s photovoltaic panels from replenishing and eventually leave him stranded. Mission control is aware of the approaching storm, yet cannot alert him. They’re left waiting in suspense to see if Watney will figure out the situation and modify his strategy, or if all of the work they did to rescue him will prove pointless.
Once more, it’s understandable this segment was removed from the film. Ongoing dialogue between Watney and other characters enhances the movie’s energy. But part of me still wishes that Goddard and Scott had shown more courage and relied on Damon to hold down scenes where he battles the environment solo, with the supporting cast placed in the same role as the audience: powerlessly wishing for success.
Looking Ahead to Future Adaptations
Goddard is returning to Weir’s work by adapting his recent 2021 publication Project Hail Mary Tale, releasing in 2026 and directed by filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. In the vein of The Martian, the narrative centers on a lone space traveler employing his expertise and creativity for survival. Ryan Gosling is set to take on the same role as Damon: a screen star engaging enough to carry numerous individual sequences while landing Weir’s idiosyncratic humor. I wish that version proves equally excellent as The Martian, but in any case, perusing the original book is highly recommended to observe which elements fail to make the jump.
