It’s a slightly click-baity title, but as we’re still generating more content for our magazines, this one included, why not?
My Sci-fi unpopular opinion is that 2001: A Space Odyssey is nothing but pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. I’ve tried watching it multiple times and each time I have absolutely no patience for the pointless little scenes which contain little to no depth or meaningful plot, all coalescing towards that 15 minute “journey” through space and series of hallucinations or whatever that are supposed to be deep, shake you to your foundations, and make you re-think the whole human condition.
But it doesn’t. Because it’s just pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. Planet of the Apes was released in the same year and is, on every level, a better Sci-fi movie. It offers mystery, a consistent and engaging plot, relatable characters you actually care about, and asks a lot more questions about the world and our place in it.
I didn’t love The Martian. It wasn’t a bad book, but I got bored in places. I was more engaged by Project Hail Mary (which is probably another unpopular opinion).
EDIT: Guess I should mention I’m referring to the books. Never saw The Martian movie.
The Martian is one of the few times where I feel strongly that the movie was “better” than the book, though I think we do well sometimes to question whether maybe we just like books better than movies. :-)
Weir is never going to be Tolstoy or Faulkner, but as of the time he wrote The Martian, it was clear he only had the skill and/or interest in making his author-insert anything like a real human being. Most scenes without him are some combination of tedious, juvenile, and unbelievable. A couple of rounds with a screenwriters and then professional actors to deliver the lines improved them dramatically. Throw in that Matt Damon was absolutely in his wheelhouse and that they didn’t cut out too much until the rover trip, and there you go.
Artemis was Weir trying to grow as an author, partly succeeding and partly very much not, and Project Hail Mary was him settling in and evolving what he does best without exceeding his grasp.
Project Hail Mary was SO good. One of the times when the audiobook really added to the experience, too.