The Martian: 8 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References You Need To See

8. The Alien-Style Opening

The Martian isn't Ridley Scott's first space rodeo. He's the guy behind Alien and Blade Runner (and Prometheus, but people don't talk about that one as much), two of the most influential and beloved sci-fi films ever made. As we know from his upcoming slate he's not done with either ground-breaking universe, so it's no surprise there's a little easter egg to one of those masterpieces in here, although a bit more subtle than you might expect. The music used for the opening of The Martian has several bars that seem to be mimicking Alien's own opening - silent screeches with the hint of orchestration. Coupled with the title appearing against an areal shot of the planet, just like Alien's apparating text, and it's clear Scott is paying homage to his haunted house in space flick (or revealing a very specific directorial tick). That's not the end of the referencing in this opening though...