DC Trawler

No, ‘The Martian’ Is Not Based On A True Story

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This week, I finally got around to picking up The Martian by Andy Weir. I figure I may as well read the book instead of seeing the movie, now that galactic jackass Neil deGrasse Tyson has spoiled it for everybody. Plus, this way I don’t have to look at Matt Damon or make him any richer.

It’s a terrific novel. Weir did an amazing amount of research on what would go into a Mars mission, and protagonist Mark Watney makes you root for him every dust-caked step of the way. But what about fans of The Martian who don’t know how to read anything longer than a tweet? What do they think of the story?

Ollie Gillman, Daily Mail:

Tweets from people who watched the Ridley Scott film, which came out on Friday, reveal that a surprisingly large number of people are unaware that humankind has never set foot on Mars.

Well, people are busy leading their own lives. They don’t have time to pay attention to every little news story that comes along. Plus, Matt Damon is so damn good, he just makes you forget he’s acting, y’know?

The Martian is sort of the anti-Capricorn One. Instead of a movie about a hoax Mars landing, it’s a movie about a fictional Mars landing that’s so plausible, people think it’s real.

Well, ignorant people, anyway.

P.S. On the other hand…

Jim Treacher