Your diary made me go and watch it tonight, I just came back 15 minutes ago. So this comment might look a little over the top after I have properly cooled off and got my rationale back.

Because: damn. When in South Africa, a friend of mine who works in film himself, would often exit these blockbusters shaking his head and muttering, 'Damn those Americans.' I felt much alike walking back - the movie is a cinematic triumph, indeed in line with Gravity and Interstellar.

As a story, I think The Martian ultimately works better than Interstellar - like you, I got put off by the mumbo jumbo in the latter to resolve the narrative. While this movie stretches our science towards a nearby horizon still within reach. That, and the way how the movie celebrates scientific achievement, it is no wonder people start wondering, so how come we did pause the space programme? If it takes movies to inspire people thinking and dreaming positively big again, I'm all for it.

I watched all three movies in the local cinema. Each time, also tonight, it was packed. Delft hosts a technical university, complete with a Space Engineering department. Or put differently, this is nerd-city central. Just like the previous movies, people around me began discussing science and physics bloopers, straight when credits began to roll. Your pique on the Martian atmosphere, and particularly what this means for the Martian storms, was noted. I wondered about it myself briefly, but not knowing the numbers, I went along with the story and bought it.

What I immediately didn't buy were the low detailed maps people were using (more people noticed). As rock person, I was rooting all movie long for only one shot of a volcanic edifice - alas. Though I even went along with all the focus on sedimentary rocks. I guess it's just too tantalizing for Hollywood with the recent pictures suggestive of stromatolites.

On a whole different tangent, I don't know if it was already in the book, though I suspect the injection of disco in this movie was either a nod to (or directly ripped from) the soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy. Then again, just like it worked there to great effects, it worked here too. Yeah 70s.

More, please.