SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS RENDERS FILM INACCURATE IN RECORD TIME
I’m not totally sure how release dates shake out over on the American side of the water but the well-anticipated sci-fi film The Martian, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, is out in cinemas here in Ireland today. There are many, many cases out there of film’s takes on science and technology being rendered inaccurate by the ongoing march of scientific progress; nuclear power doesn’t make ants grow huge, hacking doesn’t work that way etc. The Martian however may have broken some kind of record in that regard, turning out to be inaccurate a couple of days before its release.
As you may have heard, NASA announced that they have found water on Mars. Unfortunately for The Martian, it’s key to the plot that stranded astronaut Matt Damon makes water on a planet that doesn’t have any in order to survive. It’s a little awkward now. Little does he know that there is water, probably just a little to the left of him. As it turns out, according to the New York Times, NASA actually had the courtesy to give Scott a heads up about two months ago, but it was too late for them to change the plot point.
Scott told the NY Times that if the discovery had happened before filming, “He’d’ve found the edge of a glacier, definitely. It would be fascinating. But then I would’ve lost a great sequence. He has to make water, and the steaming device, and put up the plastic tents, which creates the humidity, which grows the plants, which is the most basic form of irrigation. They still do it in Spain that way.” It shouldn’t really make a big difference to how the film is received, but now we’ll all have a good chuckle.
CHRISTOPHER LLOYD GOING BACK TO BACK TO THE FUTURE IN THE NEAR FUTURE
As people who won’t shut up about hover boards may have made you aware, the 30th anniversary Back to the Future is this year. And you know that 30th anniversary re-issue of the classic series you’ve been looking for? Well listen to this…uh, there’s going to be one.
To celebrate this anniversary, Christopher Lloyd has reprised his role as Doc Brown, for a short film titled Doc Brown Saves The World, which will be available with the re-issue of the trilogy, out on October 21st. Universal has released a trailer for the short. Let’s all conspicuously ignore how old and frail Christopher Lloyd looks everybody! Basque in the nostalgia, if our pasts are always at close reach then we’re all going to live forever! That’s the power of love!