Author of ‘The Martian’ Wanted McGyver on Mars

“I was just really focused on it being a plot driven story ... I wanted MacGyver on Mars.” Andy Weir

Fantastic. The Martian was just fantastic. Out of this world, crazy good. I saw it Saturday, at a crowded matinee, with my son and my husband and we were all simply blown away. I’ll try and gather my thoughts or round up some reviews for you for tomorrow but it was three big thumbs up from us. With our arms held high in the air. Critics are, as they say, raving, about how good this movie is.

Today though, it’s Slacker Sunday and the focus is on Andy Weir, author of the sci fi best seller. Weir is a computer program who had previously tried unsuccessfully to publish two books. Deciding he was never going to be a published writer, but enjoying the writing process, he originally published the book on his own site, one chapter at a time, every few months. Then at the request of his 3000 subscribers, Weir put the book on an E-reader so they could download it easily, then at the request of readers who didn’t know how to download to an e-reader, self-published it on Amazon Kindle where it became a top seller, then sold it to Random House (who asked that he take the book down from his website) while selling the film rights to Twentieth Century Fox.

For this week’s Slacker Sunday video, I found what I think is a fascinating talk from Weir about his process, the science he got right, and the science he didn’t, followed by an audience Q&A. 

Asked who he based astronaut Mark Watney on, Weir emphatically states “Me. He’s me.” Watching Weir on stage and Watney on film, that’s pretty clear. They’re both, as Weir says, smart-asses. Weir also says Watney is the best part of him, without the things about himself he doesn’t like. That he’s the man he’d like to be. Matt Damon captures that personality perfectly. He’s Everyman, but better. No superhero powers, he’s just super-smart with a bit of a smart-ass attitude and super-determined to live. And he will knock your socks off.

I would say the 45 minute video will be much more meaningful to you if you’ve:
a) read the book or 
b) seen the movie 
so if it’s  
c) none of the above, skip this and go right to the movie theater and watch The Martian. And buckle your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The Martian trailer

Did you get out to a theater to see The Martian this weekend? And...?