You&#x27;re right, I haven&#x27;t read the book, the movie was my first exposure to this (unfortunately apparently?).  To say it compresses it strongly better words so many of my issues with the movie than I could have put it.  (in that it seemed like a series of set pieces attached together by musical interludes; echoing your lack of character development as well)<p>To answer the question from your other post, my &quot;holy trinity&quot; is Primer, Moon, Pandorum. (the first two on a pedestal above the third, but the third manages to fit in being an &quot;action&quot; movie without going too far down that road such that I can&#x27;t but love it.)<p>If we&#x27;re talking books, that&#x27;s an entirely different discussion, and seems to be the one most people want to have when bringing up The Martian.  I&#x27;ve certainly felt the same about some of my favorites. (I recall the whisper of a Foundation movie that made me want to run and hide)