“Project Hail Mary” the film was originally based on “Project Hail Mary,” Andy Weir’s science-fiction novel, which was published on May 4, 2021. The movie adaptation, “Project Hail Mary,” was released in theaters on March 20. It stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, along with Sandra Hüller as Dr. Eva Stratt and James Ortiz as Rocky. The movie made nearly $668 million worldwide and earned Rotten Tomatoes scores in the mid-90s.
Although those are all impressive numbers, do they really mean that Project Hail Mary is a good adaptation?
Most book-to-movie adaptations leave out huge parts of the story and sometimes change characters in ways that do not feel right. Especially with a book as loved as “Project Hail Mary,” there was no guarantee that the movie would get it right.
I can confidently say that Project Hail Mary is a visually beautiful, emotional and incredibly fun movie to watch. While it does lose some of the science, intelligence and quiet emotional depth that made the book so powerful, it is still a great adaptation overall.
One thing the movie showcases really well is Grace and Rocky’s friendship. You can really feel how genuine their connection is, and seeing Rocky come to life on screen is amazing. Their relationship is easily the best part of the movie.
Another thing the movie does really well is the plot twist that Grace never actually volunteered for the mission. If you had not read the book, that reveal was probably a huge surprise.
The movie does leave out a lot of the science and mathematical detail that made the book so interesting. In the book, Grace feels like a genius who solves one problem after another. In the movie, he is a little more goofy and uncertain, which makes him feel less like the brilliant problem-solver he is in the novel.
Another thing the movie does not focus on enough is how much Grace loves teaching. In the book, his students are one of his biggest motivations. At one point, he even decides to leave the project and go back to teaching. After realizing that his students may never grow up if he does nothing, he decides to continue the mission. This makes his choices at the end of the story much more meaningful.
One change I actually really liked was the addition of Carl, who only appears in the movie. Carl helps Grace with several of his projects and gives him more humanity and moral motivation. This worked really well.
The movie also leaves out several important details from the book; one is the gene that allows Grace to survive the coma while his two crewmates do not. The book also explains how humanity covers large parts of the Sahara Desert with solar panels to produce astrophage fuel and how Antarctica is heated with nuclear explosions to release greenhouse gases and buy Earth more time. These details add more depth to the story and raise interesting moral questions.
I understand why some of these details were left out. The book is around 500 pages long, and there is no way to fit everything into a three-hour movie. At times, the movie feels a little rushed, but the long runtime definitely helped.
Overall, I think “Project Hail Mary” is an amazing movie and absolutely worth watching. If you want an emotional, visually stunning science-fiction movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you will probably love it. But if you want all of the scientific detail, more of Grace’s personality and the full complexity of Andy Weir’s story, the book is still better.
The movie captures the heart and emotions of Project Hail Mary, but not exactly the brain and intellect.
