Both Mission to Mars and Red Planet had more conventional scifi twists (Helpful robot goes psycho! Godlike aliens seeded life in the solar system!) and the tension all seemed to come from rotten luck. The science in both was weak, weak, weak. Then science in The Martian, while not bullet-proof, was far, far more accurate. And the tension came from the realistic dangers and stress of fighting to stay alive on Mars. The Martian was also funnier, better written, better directed and had far better cinematography. If you enjoyed it, read the book as well. While the movie was very faithful to it, the book lets you go deeper into the story. Both were very enjoyable. To be honest though, I am a long-time, major sci-fi buff, a space nerd, a computer professional and have a snarky sense of humor. The Martian was basically made for me.
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