A Book vs. Movie Comparison: The Martian

Read with caution, this review contains spoilers.

Imagine an astronaut trapped on Mars, alone, with a limited food and water supply. The odds seem stacked against them, right? One would think that the stranded explorer, this Martian, would die from either starvation, a deadly storm, or a leak in the airlock. The likelihood of that person surviving is incredibly slim. Practically zero.

In Andy Weir’s debut novel The Martian, the protagonist is in that exact situation. Astronaut and botanist Mark Watney and his crew are one of the first to walk on Mars, but just days after landing, disaster strikes—a dust storm is raging its way through Mars, and they are forced to abort their mission. However, as Watney is trying to get to the ship, he is struck by debris. With Watney presumed dead, the commander orders the crew to take off without him.

Little did they know, Watney is still alive. While NASA, his crew, and the entire world mourn his loss, Watney gets to work. His goal? To stay alive long enough for the next mission to Mars.

I have always heard great things about The Martian. My teacher, brother, and friend all have told me that it’s funny and captivating, yet I only picked up the book recently. In fact, I watched The Martian movie with my family long before I read the book, almost five years ago!

Before starting the book, I remembered barely anything from the film, save for Watney’s “botany powers” which helped him return to Earth alive. After reading the book, my curiosity was peaked, so I decided to re-watch the movie. And…. Wow. Yes, it was good, but there were also changes that threw me off. Let’s get to it, shall we?

The Characters

Weir did a phenomenal job creating Watney’s character. This is because along with his extreme intelligence, Watney is quick-witted, funny, and one hell of a botanist. But why does it matter that he has a sense of humour? Well, I believe the story would simply be too boring without humour, as the book would feel like a constant stream of technical explanations. Thankfully, this was not the case as there were numerous times that I would start laughing at what Watney was saying.

What’s even better is that so many of these lines were incorporated in the movie, and Matt Damon delivered them perfectly!

I also really enjoyed seeing how Watney’s crew, the Ares III, joked around with each other, both before, during, and after Watney is left on Mars in the movie version. Compared to the book, this makes them feel more involved with the story, instead of just being an afterthought. Since the book is composed mainly of Watney’s journal entries, there is not much of a chance for the reader to see how the crew interacts with each other behind the coms.

The Setting

Huh. I wonder where The Martian is set… well, Mars of course! The directors of the movie chose to start the film with beautiful shots of various parts of Mars such as the Acidalia Planitia, and the Ares III landing site. In fact, if I were shown these images without context, I would likely think they are actual photos of Mars—that’s how good the graphics are. Obviously, the book does not have pictures of Mars in it, but more descriptions of the landscape would have made all the difference in helping readers imagine what Mars’ surface looks like. 

The Logistics

The book is written in the form of Watney’s journal entries, which means readers get a direct window into what Watney is thinking and how he creates his ingenious plans. Although the movie contains video logs that are similar to said journals, something felt off. There was something crucial missing: the science. The book contains simplified math and science explanations for nearly all of Watney’s plans. Even if I didn’t fully understand the math at times, it was still cool to see how much thought and planning Weir put into this book.

Plot Events

One of my biggest issues with the movie is that the producers removed many key events that occurred in the book. Notably, in the book Watney loses contact with NASA while he is preparing the rover, the HAB, for his expedition to the Ares IV landing site. While he is able to complete his mission, it comes with complications. NASA is aware of a major storm headed right for Watney, but they have no way to warn him. By the time Watney figures it out himself, he is in the thick of it.

When I watched the movie, I was so disappointed that the scene was removed. The film significantly reduced the suspense and autonomy in these final scenes by keeping Watney in constant contact with NASA.

Other small events such as the rover flipping near the landing site, and Watney building a pop-up bedroom that were not included in the film, all soften the reality that life on Mars requires sharp scientific and problem-solving skills.

The Ending

The climax of The Martian, when Watney has to use a rocket covered in tarps to meet the Ares III in space, was slightly altered in the movie adaptation. Despite the changes, I quite like the ending of the movie compared to the book as it was more realistic in that situation. The only way that Watney would be able to leave Mars is through a crazy maneuver using the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) which is stripped of nearly everything. Then, his crewmate on Ares III would remotely maneuver the MAV to the Ares III. In the book, the distance between Watney and the Ares is close enough that Astronaut Beck preforms the extravehicular activity (EVA) to capture him. In the movie, since the distance is too far, Commander Lewis risks her own life instead of Beck’s. Although she is still too far, so Watney pulls an “Iron Man,” where he uses a cut in his glove to propel him towards Lewis, a move that was merely suggested in the book.

What I don’t like in the book is that it ends right then and there. Watney arrives on the ship, and then the book ends. Just like that. Even a short epilogue showing Watney’s time back on Earth would have made a better ending to an already fantastic book. It’s so abrupt, and one of the aspects that the producers of the adaption were smart to change. Instead, the movie shows Watney back on Earth as he trains a new group of astronauts and there is a montage of all the Ares III astronauts watching the launch of the next Ares mission.

Overall Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed both versions of The Martian. However, I feel like the movie left out too many events in the book that made Watney’s journey more interesting. Therefore, I have concluded that the best way to experience the tale of Mark Watney is to first read the book, then watch the movie.