RunPee

The app that tells you the best time to

run and pee during a movie without missing the best scenes.

100% free (donation supported) Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Making movies a little better: The Martian

Read Time:1 Minute, 39 Second

the-martian-watney-and-SojournerThe Martian is a fantastic movie. I just finished watching it for the umteenth time. It’s a masterful work in every aspect. But if I may be so bold, it could have been a little better.

My Pitch

Mark Watney is alone on Mars. No companionship. Not even a stuffed animal. Except for the rover he scavenged: Sojourner. Sojourner was the first robotic/wheeled rover on Mars and has a special place in the history of Martian exploration, befitting the amazing woman it is named after.

There are only a few shots in the movie showing Sojourner wheeling around the habitat where Mark lives. What I would propose is to add just a few moments to illustrate how Mark’s interaction with the little rover evolves into something closer — into treating it like a pet.

——Content continues below——

The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App

The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.


As seen on

Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)

Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store       Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store

Read more about the RunPee app.



Even though Sojourner is only metal and circuits, it’s still the only other animated object on Mars. It wouldn’t be a stretch for Mark to grow attached to it…similar to the role a volleyball — Wilson — played for Chuck Noland  (Tom Hanks) in Cast Away. I would propose throttling back a little on the anthropomorphizing compared to Cast Away, but you get my meaning.

sojourner-movieWhen it’s time for Mark to leave, perhaps he couldn’t resist taking the little rover with him and sneaking it onto the flight to reunite with his crew. Of course, just as in Cast Away, Mark has to sacrifice the little rover to save himself. Perhaps Mark would attach a tether to the rover, slinging it around as a counterweight to toss off so he could drift close enough to the Hermies to be rescued. That would have been poignant and would work, just so long as it’s not overdone.

What do you think? Would that have improved the story, or was it perfect the way it was?

Top Astronaut Movies to Rewatch Right Now

Next Mission Impossible – and Tom Cruise – Heads to the International Space Station

What people are saying
about the RunPee app.

Kyritame2, 09/06/2021

Single best investment

By and far best investment Ive made. I used to drive my husband nuts because Id be a fidgeting mess the last half hour of the movie trying not to miss important parts. Now I just turn this app on and *bam* I can actually focus on the movie the whole time. Even puts alerts to my watch so even better. Also I can guarentee all the 5 reviews arent fake as one person accused – its just that so many of us movie-goers had the same problem and this fixed it. Yes, it is paid but jeeze its expensive to keep watching movies and updating an app for every movie. And if you read more about the creator he mentions he has several people contributing – so yeah its paid but omg worth every cent. 10/10

Developers note: the RunPee app is now, and always will be, 100% free. Donations are optional.

View all reviews: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store     Get the RunPee app at the Google Play Store

RunPee Shop

Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Androidor iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Godzilla x Kong: The new Empire, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, DUNE part II and coming soon ,  Monkey Man, Civil War, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.

Movie Reviews

Movie Review – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

I’m a big fan of the Monsterverse. I have enjoyed all of them, usually more than I expected…

Movie Review – Immaculate

Immaculate blew me away. I did not prepare myself adequately. I want to first address the graphic…

Netflix’s Three-body – first episode review

First, let me start with some context. I’m a born and raised in China kind of Chinese…

Movie Review – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

I didn’t have high hopes, but this was better than I expected. That isn’t a surprise…

Adam Savage Tours the Ghostbusters “Frozen Empire Firehouse” with director Jason Reitman

In this fascinating YouTube video, Adam Savage, known for his work on MythBusters, takes a tour of…

Movie Review – The American Society of Magical Negroes

“Welcome to the American Society of Magical Negroes!” is said to Aren (Justice Smith) as his world…

Movie Review – Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies and Bleeding was bloody awful. I’ve become quite the fan of A24 Productions and they…

Movie Review – Knox Goes Away

Knox Goes Away was a fantastic movie. It kept you engaged for almost two hours. It gives you hope…

Comments

One response to “Making movies a little better: The Martian”

  1. I love The Martian and your idea would definitely make it cuter. I enjoyed the (longer) book even more than the film, but I think you’re right: he didn’t anthropomorphize anything. I know personally I would do that in some way out of desperation, had I been stuck alone so long with so little hope of rescue. Look at the mouse in The Green Mile, for another example.

    In Cast Away, Wilson ‘himself’ is presented as a bit of a psychosis for Chuck by the end, and I guess Andy Weir didn’t want to imply anything like that for Watney. Astronauts are supposed to be extremely emotionally stable.

    But in terms of just plain humanity, I get it. I’m alone here in Brazil, and it’s only been two months. I already picked up a little stuffed animal to hug, as I miss human contact — esp now with social distancing. Hugging my stupid little plushie at night helps. We’re just wired that way. Look at those (hideous) infamous infant monkey deprivation experiments: the babies would rather starve than give up cuddling a cloth wrapped mother figure.

    So yeah, I would have had Watney treat his Rover like a pet, and it would have been a sweet plot point, but I get why Weir didn’t go there. I’m just happy we got an Iron Man reference!

Leave a Reply

RunPee