While the ChemClub Virtual Book Club is about the printed version of The Martian, it would be hard to never mention the movie version. The movie gives the characters faces and voices making it more appealing to a wider audience. We’ll explore resources for both the film and the novel in this blog post, but remember to share your thoughts with us in the comment section and on Facebook or Twitter using #ACSChemClubBook.
The Movie
After watching the trailer, who doesn’t want to watch The Martian? The voiceover states:
“I guarantee you that at some point, everything is going to go south on you. You’re going to say ‘This is it. This is how I end.’ Now you can either accept that or you can get to work… Here’s the rub, its going to be 4 years for another mission to reach me and I’m in a hab designed to last 31 days. So I’ve got to make water and grow food on a planet where nothing grows… Okay, so lets do the math. I have enough food to last for 50 days. So, I’m going to have to science the sh__ out of this… No matter what happens, tell the world, tell my family that I never stopped fighting to make it home.”
What a powerful message of survival and science! Do you want to watch the flick now?
While watching the film, look for connections to the book, then check out some of these resources that coincide with the film:
- Ares III Complete Mission Guide
Go to the movie website and click on the Mission Guide to learn more about the characters. Then head over to YouTube to watch the ARES:live playlist that features fun clips, including one with Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining the science behind the Ares mission in a StarTalk format. - Many people mention The Martian with movies like Apollo 13 and Gravity. What similarities do you notice between these films? What other movies would do you think contain similar science themes?
- Why NASA Helped Ridley Scott Create ‘The Martian’ Film from Popular Science
- TED-Ed Lessons to help you understand the film
Explore creative problem-solving, chemistry, math, health and astronaut training with these videos and lessons. - Roving Mars is a movie about the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. In The Martian, Watney tracks down one of the old rovers to help with his communication to NASA. Learn about rovers in the movie, then try out some activities.
The Book
Hopefully, you’ve read the first 37 pages, and wanted to keep reading. If you watched the movie before reading the book, what drew you to the film? What are some similarities/differences between the movie adaptation and the original story?
While reading, what have you enjoyed the most about the book? My favorite part of the book is from Sol 197 when Watney decides that “Kilowatt-hours per sol” will be renamed “pirate-ninja.” I missed seeing/hearing pirate-ninja in the flick. Did you miss any of these small items found in the book and not in the movie?
Don’t forget, about the resource packet for the the ChemClub Virtual Book Club, including the two contests that are still open: