Andy Weir’s “The Martian” begins with a massive dust storm that strands fictional astronaut Mark Watney on Mars. As they try to approach the vessel, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is struck by debris and is lost. FWIW - book is worth reading even after seeing the movie. It may come as a surprise that Andy Weir, the author of the sci-fi novel that Scott adapted, knew the scene was pure fiction. So they decide to abandon their mission and evacuate. Ridley Scott's movies are always known to have good production designs, like Blade Runner and Gladiator. In a Q&A at the end of the book, Weir explains that he wanted to make the story as scientifically accurate as possible, but he needed the dust storm at the beginning to get the plot moving. But realistically, that could not possibly happen. A selection of our best stories daily based on your reading preferences. That seems to be a common theme to movie helmets everywhere. This is the biggest part of the story that was stretched to move the story along. I didn't notice the beacon turns itself off when it is "pointing away" before. Consider the scene in the movie where Watney counts potatoes while the storm is blowing outside, and the duct tape door is bulging and stretching, and he allows himself this half second of utter despair, but then he powers on. Glad to see it's a practical effect instead. Not because it can't happen, just that it wouldn't quite work right, especially at that size. Consider the scene in the movie where Watney counts potatoes while the storm is blowing outside, and the duct tape door is bulging and stretching, and he allows himself this half second of utter despair, but then he powers on. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. In the opening scene of 'The Martian,' a sci-fi thriller movie lauded for its realism, a colossal dust storm threatens to tip over the only rocket a group of astronauts can ride home. Easy and funny, I enjoyed it although it gets pretty damn technical at some points. Dust storms on Mars are not this dense. By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Business Insider See also: people using a candle/torch to light their way by holding it right in front of them at eye level. If they had lights shining on their faces in their helmets they wouldn't be able to see into the darkness. Absolutely one of the most captivating scenes in the film and done with mainly practical effects. I had the chance to work for him and I was there on this shooting day. Sign up for Insider Select. There is absolutely nothing of that storytelling calibre in the novel. But it also reminded me how much it annoyed me that they were using MovieOS for all computer scenes. In the scene, powerful wind rips an antenna out of a piece of equipment and destroys parts of the astronauts’ camp. A great novel would manage to maintain the perspective - him writing a snarky diary of his likely death sentence - while also letting the greater pictures and emotions shine through. There is absolutely nothing of that storytelling calibre in the novel. since. I see a lot of praise for the book but it never wuite captivated me. Ironically, this is the least unrealistic scene in the whole movie. Movie Description During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. "If standing on Mars, a 100 mph wind would feel like someone was throwing a bag of feathers at you," Jim Bell, a scientist who works with NASA's Mars rovers, told Forbes. "The Martian" is now open in theaters everywhere. When a door can be opened by a man out of the sight of the camera, that's how the airlock would operate. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The Martian Scene Dust Storm Scene Vote . It’s a cool writing exercise, and a fun story - but nothing more. Weir further hashed out his reasoning to Nautilus in January: That was a deliberate concession I made, because I just thought it was more dramatic to have him get stranded by a weather event. But if they didn't we wouldn't be able to see them. In the opening scene of 'The Martian,' a sci-fi thriller movie lauded for its realism, a colossal dust storm threatens to tip over the only rocket a group of astronauts can ride home. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Guessing it is just rotating back facing forward or is against a wall or something that it can't light up otherwise ruining the look. With so much meticulous research and attention to scientific detail throughout the rest of the book, we'll forgive Weir and Scott for taking a little creative liberty here. Ridley Scott is truly one of the great science fiction directors and I hope to see more films like this from him. Right? It would not cause the problems in the movie/book. Subscriber Mars is infamous for intense dust storms, which sometimes kick up enough dust to be seen by telescopes on Earth. It is a science fiction story, after all, and the scene in the movie looks really, really cool. The dust storm scene is an intense and exciting start to a highly anticipated blockbuster by director Ridley Scott. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the Moviesinthemaking community, A behind-the-scenes look at the wonderful world of movies, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. as well as other partner offers and accept our, NOW WATCH: The biggest science mistakes in 'The Martian'. Clip Description A dust storm forces the crew of the Ares 111 back to their vessel. Especially that beacon in the distance. I think you mean to say that it was the least realistic scene. As soon as they step out into the storm to make a break for their spacecraft, they're plunged into darkness and powerful winds: The winds are so strong they break off a satellite dish, which strikes the film's main character, Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), and drags him away from the group: With Watney lost and the spacecraft swaying dangerously, the crew takes off. I agree. Also the spinning room to simulate gravity. It kind of plays well into the theme of it’s him versus Mars, and it starts off with Mars smacking him around. The whole crew had those particles in their ears and underwear as well by the end of the day. The least unrealistic scene is a double negative. Ridley Scott is always for man-tronics instead of complicated mechanisms or cgi. Account active Dust storms routinely sweep across the planet, but the atmospheric pressure of Mars is about 1% that of the Earth's. But as it is, the novel is just a really cool and funny hypothetical blog. Follow Tech Insider on Facebook and Twitter. Thats what always gets me too...super-annoying but how else are we going to see their faces... That and the existence of this storm were really the only two unrealistic points in this movie, tbh. Your head would be experiencing weaker gravitational forces than your feet and it would be really disorienting. This means the air on Mars is simply too thin for the wind carry much force or do any damage, Jim Greene, NASA's planetary science director, told The New York Times.