Based on the book of the same name by Andy Weir, The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is a mix of science fiction, action, drama, and even a little bit of comedy. Directed by Ridley Scott, The Martian features Damon as Dr. Mark Watney, a scientist on a mission to Mars. After a storm on the Red Planet, Watney ends up stranded, alone, and struggling to survive.
There are realistic parts of The Martian, something Weir strove to accomplish when he wrote the book. Throughout The Martian, Watney uses his scientific background to manufacture water, grow potatoes, and even communicate with Earth. There are also glaring inaccuracies, something that's unheard of when it comes to a Ridley Scott movie. Much like Scott's Napoleon, several of the flaws in The Martian were choices made by the director (and the author) to maximize audience enjoyment.
The Martian PG-13
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*Availability in US Release Date September 30, 2015 Director Ridley Scott Cast Matt Damon , Jessica Chastain , Kristen Wiig , Jeff Daniels , Michael Pena , Sean Bean Runtime 130 Main Genre Sci-Fi Writers Drew Goddard , Andy Weir Expand The Atmosphere of Mars Is Thin, Making The Martian's Wind Storm Very Different From What Occurs Close
Because the atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars is so much lower than what exists on Earth, it's difficult to conceptualize what a storm would feel like on the Red Planet. The thin atmosphere would mean a dust storm on Earth would do little to dislodge equipment and people. This is extremely problematic for The Martian. The entire crux of the movie is that the main character gets stranded on Mars after a storm. In reality, even the biggest gust of wind on Mars would feel more like a breeze on Earth.
There are major storms on Mars, however. According to researchers, the dust storms on Mars are the biggest in the solar system. They take place mostly during the summer and spring and, according to NASA scientist Michael Smith, "Every year there are some moderately big dust storms that pop up on Mars and they cover continent-sized areas and last for weeks at a time."
Author Andy Weir acknowledged the dust storms in The Martian were used as a plot device more than anything else. Weir said in 2014, "Most people don't know how Martian dust storms work, that it's not like being in a sandblaster. It's just more dramatic that way. So I just made that concession.... I know I'm a liar. I just ... wanted that."
Gravity on Mars Is Nothing Like What Is Shown in The Martian Close
The gravity on Mars is roughly 40% less than Earth's. Ridley Scott intentionally chose not to pay attention to this when he made The Martian. When asked about this in anticipation of The Martian's release in 2015, Scott and Matt Damon teamed up to explain that there was no easy way to effectively show the gravity difference between Mars and Earth on screen. As Ryan Bradley from Popular Mechanics put it:
"Movie magic hasn't figured out a good way to account for 40 percent gravity, which is cinematically not nearly as satisfying as zero gravity, so they ignored it."
The lack of accurate gravity in The Martian influences several things viewers see in the movie. The way the astronauts walk on Mars is the most obvious gravity-related error, but exertion for the astronauts would be much less as they climb, walk around, or do anything while on the planet.
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Radiation Levels and Water Making in The Martian Are Problematic Close
The Martian acknowledges how problematic radiation traveling to Mars would be for astronauts, but for an extended time, it would be much more detrimental than anything shown in the movie. Radiation from the sun and galactic cosmic rayswould be major issues.
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The way Matt Damon uses rocket fuel to make water is not entirely necessary, according to aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin. Zubrin told The Guardian that because there is water on Mars, it would be much easier to extract it from soil. Science supports this notion because, as NASA scientists said in 2015, oceans once consumed large amounts of Mars' surface. For planetary scientist John Bridges, this means evidence exists that "Mars was once habitable" and it could be again.
Zubrin had one more quibble with The Martian and its presentation of NASA sharing information with the public. He was not surprised that the astronauts would have had information withheld from them (not that he approved of this, however). He did not think that would be possible with the communication that exists today and, since the public was aware of Watney's predicament, he thought the astronauts would likely have heard something about the situation from loved ones.