this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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Just got back from the movies. Loved it. And I'm relieved that they didn't stray too far from the book. My 14 y.o. son also loved it, and he never read the book. He's got ADHD and I've never seen him complete such a long movie, let alone in one sitting, before.
10/10, would recommend
I really appreciate how they didn’t try to use too much bullshit science. One of my biggest complaints with movies or shows is their use of science that is just completely wrong. Xenonite is quite flakey but I think that’s the worst thing
Gosling's use of an unbalanced centrifuge made me exclaim "No!" aloud, though.
That one stuck in my craw too! I still loved the movie, but that was just sadly lazy
Even science majors and grads don't always get it at first.
I taught students and trained junior researchers during and after grad school. When I'd catch lab assistants doing lopsided centrifuge loads, especially in the big floor-standing centrifuges (I even caught one genius sitting on it to dampen the vibration), we'd take a trip to the physics department for a quick lecture on the amount of energy contained in their spinning samples compared to the amount of energy required for a plastic centrifuge tube to fracture and penetrate a human skull.
It helps that Andy weir basically comes up with all the science before writing a story around it
I felt like the author was winking at us when he namee it xenonite and made it a miracle material. "Heres the McGuffin!"
With such a high rating, would you recommend watch the movie or reading the book first? I've never even hear of it until recently and never seen a trailer so completely blind about what it's about.
The book is just a nice read. If movies spoil books for you, definitely read the book first. But the movie is true to the story and both are great.
Book was great, movie was ok, but a little too much buddy comedy.
The book is (mostly) hard scifi, though one with an emphasis on character development. In contrast, the movie is an unlikely buddy comedy meets scifi. They're very different and while the movie is a faithful adaptation, if the scifi stuff interests you I'd recommend prioritizing the book first.
Thanks for the great reply! I don't think I've read too much hard sci-fi, but I enjoy Brandon Sanderson's "Scientific Magic". With all the hype I'll have to check out the book.