The Martian

I caught this on video recently. Loved it!

In the movie, this astronaut named Mark Watney gets left behind when a mission to Mars has to be scrapped because of a storm. The whole rest of the movie is about both him trying to survive and – once they realize he’s actually alive – NASA’s efforts to retrieve him.

What I love about the movie is how closely Mark’s personality matches with certain scientists I’ve known. There is the same curiosity, self-assurance, determination, and sense of humor. There is the same quirky use of math, and sheer inventiveness.

One of the themes involves how nerds relate. Often there are references to such nerd icons as Lord of the Rings, and Space Pirates. There are always some characters that get the reference right away and some who don’t get it at all. I’ve seen this in real life so many times.

I strongly recommend that people like my mother see this one. Hint, hint.

also, in searching for a good trailer for the movie, I ran across a spoof. I don’t think it will spoil anything for those who have not seen the movie, but you probably won’t get as much out of it if you haven’t. View at your own discretion.