The Martian | Full Reaction
Added 2025-01-19 22:54:11 +0000 UTCThank you all so much for bringing this movie to me! I absolutely loved it. From the moment the storm hit and Mark was left behind, I was hooked. I think what really blew me away was the movie's balance between science and emotion. Watching Mark grow potatoes in Mars soil, solve problems with pure ingenuity, and stay hopeful despite all of the odds was so heartwarming, inspiring and beautiful!
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Relax and enjoy 🍿🌿
LINK: https://youtu.be/bM2U8zk1ZkY
I watched this on HBO Max
Comments
I need to watch this!
Kali Wali
2025-01-22 14:51:24 +0000 UTCAdded to my list! Thank you!
Kali Wali
2025-01-22 14:50:26 +0000 UTCPlease watch the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind
Brian Leonard
2025-01-22 00:52:52 +0000 UTCI was off work today because of the weather, so I decided to watch The Martian with you. It was my first time watching it. I've been fascinated with Mars ever since I saw a photo of the Martian surface from the first Mars rover back in the '90s, so it was a real treat to watch a movie about Mars that was so well done. One thing I'm wondering now is if crops really could be grown on Mars with Martian soil under the right greenhouse conditions. If so, we could potentially set up a station on Mars in the distant future. Not to get overly political, but I'm glad that there seems to be a renewed focus on manned space travel with the new presidential administration here in the US. It's something that can bring people and even nations together over a common goal. I would even say that it's something we need as a civilization, and it really is a shame that it's been pushed to the side for not just years, but decades.
Jeff Seely
2025-01-21 21:53:09 +0000 UTCIf you liked this, you'll probably love Apollo 13, which is tighter, more intense and actually happened
JD Nevesytrof
2025-01-21 17:30:59 +0000 UTCThank you for your comment, Kali. The first time I watched "The Martian", I put myself in the Director's shoes and asked myself, "If I allow the crew of the Hermes to pursue the rescue mission to save Mark Watney and, God forbid, one or more of the crew loses their lives during the undertaking how do I, as the Director, explain that to their families?" Of course, the story gave us an out by the character of Mitch covertly sending the rescue mission plans and calculations to the Hermes crew and allowing them to decide for themselves whether they wanted to risk everything to return and save Mark. Mitch became the fall guy with less of a fallout of public opinion because it was unsanctioned - if a crew member died during the rescue it might be perceived as selfless bravery rather than a foolhardy government decision that caused their death(s).
ButtercupsTrueLove
2025-01-21 15:23:00 +0000 UTCI'm sooooo glad I saw LoTR before watching this because it was so great and perfectly placed!! Also yess, the Iron Man reference considering so many MCU actors. It made this movie so much more enjoyable haha.
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:14:58 +0000 UTCIt only adds 10 minutes so don't worry too much! So happy you loved this! It is based on a book by the way and the book is more amazing than the movie!
The Dingo
2025-01-21 15:14:21 +0000 UTCLOL at the "Let's save Matt Damon" trilogy
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:13:48 +0000 UTCOh noooooo! I didn't realize there was an Extended Version!!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:13:03 +0000 UTCSooo many actors from the MCU! I'm interested to know about this 7th lol. But I'm guessing I'll know in the MCU when I get there. So cool seeing so many actors that I've seen so far be in this one all together. It added to the experience for me haha
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:12:40 +0000 UTCThere was soooo much science and research and love put into this movie. It definitely shows! Thanks for the recommends!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:11:27 +0000 UTCYess! Who would've thought that a "space movie" could be so grounded in realism. I totally get the engineer brain nerding out hahaha. I noticed it feeling more like a documentary when Watney was attempting to get the Rover to travel farther and farther and mixing his actual footage with beautiful Mars footage. And yes! The sound design was AMAZING throughout the entire movie. I also love how they added the drama to it lol. NASA's inner workings are definitely complex, and it's not always neat and tidy like we might think. It's awesome that you can mirror this in your own work as well! And soooo cool that your friend works for NASA JPL! Mark Watney's "I'm going to science the shit out of this" mentality was awesome hahah and a favorite of mine, too! And I feel like that quote should 100% be your mantra at work knowing it fits so well with what you're dealing with LOL I'm glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did! Very funny how the 70s music followed us into this one, but a completely different side of it 😂
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 15:10:56 +0000 UTCBe prepared for Contact, cause as far as i know you Kali, it will hit hard.
Curaitis
2025-01-21 15:06:05 +0000 UTCI really enjoyed that Matt Damon carried most of the film and emotion in this! He did an incredible job with it, too. I felt his victories, his anger, and every other emotion in between. I'll have to add Cast Away to the watch list! Thank you!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:59:56 +0000 UTCAww, that's awesome!!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:58:55 +0000 UTCI didn't look at him as a villain at all! And in my outro, I even said "This movie had no real villain" and something along the lines of his role being more nuanced than simply being an antagonist. Of course we are rooting for Mark Watney! I think how the scenes were filmed with the Media Director always looming over the NASA Director gave me an interesting perspective on how much media shapes decisions made. I agree that Teddy's decision, while difficult, was one grounded in real-world responsibility of his position, and not something taken lightly at all. It's a testament to how complex leadership in such high-stakes situations can be. It's so multi-faceted. I love how this film showed how much Media can pull and tug at the thoughts of a NASA Director. "What will media think" "We have 1 hour until we need to legally release this to the public" "He can't say that on National TV" were common themes throughout this entire movie. Very heavy ones! So even though, yes I understand Teddy was making real-life decisions and taking time to weigh each and every one of them- There is no denying that Media played a huge role in those decisions as well.
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:57:39 +0000 UTCYes! Matt Damon did an incredible job in this one. I'm glad you enjoyed my reaction!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:52:06 +0000 UTCOo very cool to hear from someone that loved the book as well! I can't wait to get to it eventually, especially after seeing another comment on how Andy Weir wrote it by uploading each chapter to an online forum to get the most accurate details and feedback! So cool. I totally see your point about the Director and another person actually mentioned this as well lol. I think with the world we are living in today, viewing this film now had me feeling like every scene with the Director of Media Relations looming over every shot that the NASA Director was in had a deeper meaning. I can appreciate the perspective that his focus on maintaining public and financial support for NASA is ultimately for the greater good of science and future missions. It does feel like a larger, long-term view. That said, I still think Mitch's stance, valuing one life above all else, brings a compelling counterbalance to that, and it's interesting to see how these differing viewpoints create tension throughout the entire story! And that's fascinating about the Chinese negotiations! I had no idea there was more detail about how they tried to keep the situation out of politics. It really does add to the complexity of the film's portrayal of global cooperation under extreme pressure. I'll have to rewatch that part and pay closer attention to those subtle moments now.
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:51:02 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing your perspective! I agree that the movie does an awesome job showcasing Mark's resilience, hopefulness, and ingenuity. I can also see where you're coming from with Teddy. You're right that a NASA director, his responsibility for the safety of the entire crew would weigh heavily on him. Balancing the fate of one life verses five is that age old debate question, isn't it. It makes sense that his decisions reflect that immense pressure. I hadn't really thought about it from that angle because every scene he was constantly looking back at the Director of Media Relations anytime he went to speak or make a decision. It seemed like every scene she was also hovering over his shoulder- always close by in every shot like an extension of himself. But I do see this point of view and it adds a layer of realism to his character and the tough choices he had to make! That said, I still can't help but feel there's a bit of ambiguity in how the movie frames his motivations- Whether he's leaning more towards pragmatism or optics. But I do appreciate that the story lets us interpret it in our own way depending on how we view leadership and risk management! Very cool, honestly. Thank you again for your insight! It's always awesome hearing other perspectives and looking at the film a different way because of that!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:46:00 +0000 UTCSooooo many amazing actors in this! I was surprised haha. They just kept popping up throughout the entire movie! Have a relaxing Holiday! 🫖✨
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:39:57 +0000 UTCWow it's really interesting to hear about the deliberate realism in both the novel AND the film. This makes picking up the book even more exciting when I finally get around to it. No wonder it's so precise with feedback as he went along with each chapter! The detail about astronauts' discipline and training to "compartmentalize" is such an awesome insight, and it makes sense why that aspect was emphasized in both the book and the movie. I seriously appreciate your mini 'nerdout' section hahaha. I had absolutely NO idea how incredible this movie actually is and how much science went into it. And that backup plan for Johannsen.. wow, that's haunting and really underscores the stakes of their mission! The Iron Man scene definitely seemed way too cinematic haha. So no surprise there that it was completely made up for dramatic effect. Also, thank you for the reminder about Apollo 13 and Contact! Apollo 13 has been really heavily recommended, but Contact is a first and apparently Scott also approves haha. I'll add that to the list! As always, thank you for your detailed and awesome comment! It was a pleasure to read and really enhanced my appreciation for this film and Andy Weir's work overall!
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:38:50 +0000 UTCAwesome! I'm so glad you've been loving the content here! ✨ Thank you
Kali Wali
2025-01-21 14:29:02 +0000 UTCContact is a great film, hope to see Kali watch that at some point.
Scott S
2025-01-21 00:55:12 +0000 UTCYou're KILLING IT. You have been releasing hit after hit. I subbed for your LotR, and now Firefly and the Martian also.
Armchair Rizzard
2025-01-20 23:09:32 +0000 UTCGreat Reaction Kali, as always. This movie is based on a novel by Andy Weir - he's written a couple of others set in space with other characters: Artemis and Project Hail Mary. Both are also really good. Adam Savage did an excellent podcast episode about the book and the movie. The reason why you don't see Mark's dark night of the soul is because Andy Weir wanted to make the story as realistic as possible, and wrote the novel chapter by chapter online, soliciting feedback as he went. What movies get wrong about astronauts is that they are a specific kind of highly disciplined personality, have trained extensively for every imaginable thing that could go wrong, and have "died" in practice so many times that they are far more practiced in compartmentalizing (similar to surgeons, firefighters, and other high stakes professions) than most of people. Adam talks about this point in the podcast. And this was something that Andy Weir (and probably Ridley) wanted to really emphasize, since it is so rarely done right. Andy Weir worked out so many calculations about this book (and movie) that he even figured out which year the book (and movie) had to take place (2035). It turns out that's the only year in the near future where the orbits of Earth and Mars work out such that the Aries 4 team would be on Mars for Thanksgiving. And if the Aries 4 team wasn't on Mars for Thanksgiving, Andy Weir couldn't justify them having fresh potatoes for Mark Watney to grow into potato plants. One detail from the book that really hit home for me as far as the risk the other crew were taking to go back for him was that, like always, they had a backup plan - if the resupply launch failed when the Hermes swung around the earth, everyone but Johannsen (Kate Mara, the Computer Specialist) would have to die, pretty much immediately, so that she could survive on all of their rations during the trip to Mars and back. And she would also have to eat their bodies to make it... (I think they chose her to survive because she was the smallest.) I guess in that scenario, Mark would die, too, because there's not much chance of her being able to pick him up by herself, even if things had gone more smoothly. Although The Martian splits time evenly with Damon's plight and the efforts to rescue him, Matt's time alone on the screen with the full range of emotions displayed is what got him his Best Actor nomination. Besides the realistic depiction of Mars, his performance is the other pillar on which this fine film rests. I would give mention to Jessica Chastain and her fine performance as a tough and yet humane leader of her team. And because im not only a big Sci-fi Fan (SC anyone ;)) im also a big Astronomy and Astrophysics Nerd (not that im an expert or so), so here is a little nerdout. -) Mars atmosphere on the surface is as thin as Earths atmosphere at about 30 to 35km altitude, so even the most powerful storm on mars could not produce enough kinetic energy to tip something as heavy as the MAV, despite huge wind speeds -) We have found water on Mars - quite a lot actually, but it is not accessible for a simple mission which brought everything to survive along or before (as the habitat and the MAV were brought in separately and the hab-modules just needed to be assembled by the crew) -) The oxygen stays at 20,5 to 21 percent, because that's the ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere, the rest is mainly nitrogen (which is good, otherwise the atmosphere would burn away the second a spark was lit) -) Creating oxygen on Mars is actually quite easy with a MOXIE (being tested with the current rover now in situ) -) All the necessary basic elements are on Mars for his endeavour. N2H4 from the landing unit and CO2 in the local atmosphere. A little chemistry and you can make oxygen, water and nitrogen. -) Andy Weir, an engineer himself, when writing the book, gave his scripts to a bunch of astro-scientists (including astro botanists) beforehand and asked them about the science he imagined and made the necessary corrections they imagined. -) The Iron Man scene at the end of the movie was completely made up for dramatic purposes and does not happen in the book. -) Some say they ignored gravity in the movie as Mars gravity is only 34% that of Earths. But while he was moving like under 1g (costs money to make everything appear 1/3 of its actual weight including Matt Damons movements), he lifted 50kg of Mars dirt with some ease and was able to strip the MAV for Ares IV all alone, including the 400kg nose. -) He had to use the shit of his crewmates (and his own) not only as a fertilizer, but to even create fertile soil in the first place, as Mars dirt is sterile and has no bacteria. Take care and until the next one dear Kali. little Edit, forget to mention Apollo 13 and Contact for you list. Both are sci-fi, excellent stories and great casts.
Curaitis
2025-01-20 17:36:06 +0000 UTCI’m glad you enjoyed the movie, it is great to see the resilience and hopefulness in Mark, alongside his ingenuity of course. I disagree with your opinion of Teddy, the NASA director. I personally don’t feel he was more worried about the PR optics or his job than he was about all 6 crew members. Ultimately the responsibility for the entire crew’s safety rests with him. It cannot be easy to balance the fate of 1 life versus 5 and I feel sure the weight of that was felt and a difficult decision to make, not just some potential blot on his record as director. For me, his judgement fits more into science fact than the final act rescue which feels much more science fiction.
James Hadden
2025-01-20 15:37:40 +0000 UTCWould love to watch this today but am on holiday until the weekend. I knew you'd love this one. Plus plenty of Marvel and LOTR actors in it too.
Simon Haynes
2025-01-20 10:34:29 +0000 UTCI thought Andy Weir's The Martian was great, but Project Hail Mary was AWESOME! The movie adaptation has finished filming (starring Ryan Gosling) and is in post-production, to be released next year. I'm so pumped for that, definitely my most anticipated movie currently!
Onno Smits
2025-01-20 08:24:34 +0000 UTCI'm glad you enjoyed this! I loved the book, so when this movie came out I was first in line. A fair bit is changed for the movie, making it more suitable for the screen. It's a great adaptation. I highly recommend the book, you'll be surprised by how little the movie spoiled the story in the book. It's very interesting how you interpreted the Director's intentions and motivations. I didn't take it that way at all! I thought he was taking a more macro view of keeping public support for NASA, simply to maintain financial support for future missions, and the overall general goal of furthering the scientific knowledge of mankind. He valued that above the life of one man. Counterpoint being Mitch's (Boromir's) view that saving even one human life should stand above that. The subtitles on the Chinese bit are... very sparse. They have a whole discussion about how they should keep the negotiations between scientists, because if it becomes a political matter, nothing will get done in time. Eventually, they decide to contact NASA directly and negotiate the use of the booster in return for a CNSA astronaut (taikonaut) being selected for the Ares 5 mission.
Onno Smits
2025-01-20 08:18:36 +0000 UTCTrue. Matt Damon did a great job at portraying Watney as someone who read the book. The movie did a good job overall but the book does a show a lot more of portraying his internal mind as he tries to solve each problem as he tries to solve every problem to survive, if you have read the book. This movie did do a good job at simplifying each problem he ran in into tho. 10/10 from a book reader tho. :)
Ultra
2025-01-20 07:16:58 +0000 UTCAnother outstanding reaction. This is another that hits you in the feels because of Matt's performance in a mostly alone setting. He does get sone contact with home but every situation,except a couple, is something he has to figure out on his one.
P T
2025-01-20 06:58:32 +0000 UTC+1 for "Cast Away", if Kali has not already seen it.
ButtercupsTrueLove
2025-01-20 06:46:22 +0000 UTCThe Director played by Jeff Daniels is not a villain in the movie. As filmgoers, we all wanted to see Mark Watney return home safely. He is someone we root for. There is not a single space mission undertaken by NASA or any other country or private company that can be considered as 100% safe for astronauts. If one considers the precarious position that NASA sometimes found itself in during its history - the fatal accidents of the Challenger and Columbia shuttle missions, the deadly fire that killed U.S. astronauts of Apollo I on the launch pad before their mission even left Earth, public opinion often asks the question, "Why are we spending so much taxpayer monies on NASA, when that money could be spent on other things like education, infrastructure, or just money back in the wallets of citizens?" Teddy's position that it is better to bring home the crew of the Hermes with more certainty than to risk more lives to save Mark Watney is not a decision that a NASA director would take lightly.
ButtercupsTrueLove
2025-01-20 06:44:26 +0000 UTCI have very clear memories as a kid of the Pathfinder landing and how exciting it was for space enthusiasts, so to see it brought back as a vital tool after all these years was very cool
JD Nevesytrof
2025-01-20 04:51:23 +0000 UTCI always enjoy this movie. I still love Interstellar more, because of the emotional impact. But wow just the amount of perseverance it would take to survive like that. Matt Damon carries so much of this one and does a fantastic job. It's reminiscent of Cast Away which is even more extreme in that it's one actor that carries 90% or more of the story. Another great movie to put on your list sometime if you haven't seen it. It helps that most of the other actors in this are great as well to pick up the ensemble moments.
Marty McGee
2025-01-20 03:51:01 +0000 UTCI was trying to remember the 7th...but it finally hit me. LOL I had totally forgotten that!
Marty McGee
2025-01-20 03:43:35 +0000 UTCThis is another one of those movies that took me by complete surprise, and I love it all the more for that! Here I was thinking this was gonna be some sci-fi space-exploration, extraterrestrials type story. But nope, we got an amazing story of perseverance and belief, rooted more in fact than in fiction. My engineer brain was nerding out the whole time haha with how much the tech and science in this movie was grounded in realism. And like you said in the outro, I really love how this felt like a documentary, even down to its hyper-realistic sound design! I also liked the look into NASA and all of its drama haha. Showing how things in the corporate world are never as simple as they could, or should be. Something I can 100% relate to in my industry of work too. Also, one of my friends I went to college with went on to work for NASA JPL in California (freakin’ overachiever, man LOL) so was very cool to see that place here! Watney sees every situation for the opportunities it brings. I almost feel like you have to as a space botanist. But it was so enjoyable seeing him put his head to work no matter the adversity or setbacks to find a way. Me to myself from now on anytime I’m faced with a problem: “I’m going to science the sh*t out of this” LOL This was a VERY enjoyable reaction to watch, so thank you for the bonus Sunday night movie! As if we didn't get our fix of amazing 70's music yesterday in Guardians, this one took care of it haha :)
M1 Maz
2025-01-20 03:30:58 +0000 UTCThe novel by Andy Weir is really good. It was hard to put down so its nice to hear that you'll put it on your list. So much was rushed for the sake of time and some of the best moments in the book aren't even in the film at all. Theres also two other sci-fi novels by the same author that have been signed for screen and are in various stages of production!
Chris
2025-01-20 03:03:04 +0000 UTCI love this movie and I'm glad it was chosen. I knew you would love it. Whoever wrote this story obviously did their research in science. If you want to watch another heartwarming story that will bring tears to your eyes, I suggest you watch the 2017 movie "Gifted", which is a story about a brilliant young girl. I highly recommend it. It also has Chris Evans in it.
Will Castillo
2025-01-20 02:56:03 +0000 UTCSo fun thing, this movie has a lot of stars like said, but there are a lot, like a lot lot, of actors from the MCU in this film too: Micheal Pena (Luis from Ant-Man) Kate Mara (she was the process server who served Tony with his Congressional subpena in Iron Man 2) Benedict Wong (Wong from Doctor Strange) Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo from Doctor Strange) Sebastian Stan (Bucky from the Captain America movies) And there are actually 2 more, but you haven't seen those movies yet (but one appears in the next MCU film you see and the other will appear in the movie after the next one you see) I believe that there were 7 total, but I'm sure one of the other subscribers will correct me (and if they do I trust that they won't reveal any that appear in the MCU movies you haven't seen yet)
The Dingo
2025-01-20 02:19:18 +0000 UTCAlthough I didn't vote for this movie in the poll it is a very solid movie and it's in my collection of movies I own. It's a very powerful well told story. Matt Damon does a fantastic job of carrying most of the movie on his shoulders. If his character wasn't interesting, it would of derailed it. The supporting cast, also great. Yup, a lot of MCU people in it, Wong, Bucky, Luis (from Antman), Mordo and 1 other you haven't seen yet so I won't say who. How meta was the LoTR reference, plus the Iron Man reference considering the cast. :)
Lastboyscout73
2025-01-20 01:47:54 +0000 UTCOne of the best parts of this movie is that about 95% of the science is real. They tried very hard to make sure that it is was as accurate as possible. You have now completed your, "Let's save Matt Damon" trilogy.
DarthChef
2025-01-20 01:29:56 +0000 UTCThanks!
Ian Forbes
2025-01-20 01:04:37 +0000 UTCThere was a time when Hollywood was trying to find different ways to save Matt Damon. I'm sure Jimmy Kimmel wasn't pleased.
Richard
2025-01-20 00:06:45 +0000 UTCHey all - I believe this is the theatrical release and not the extended version
The Dingo
2025-01-19 23:03:56 +0000 UTC
