Project Hail Mary: A Streamlined Adaptation

It was surreal actually getting to sit in the theater on discount Tuesday and watch what was not only an adaptation of one of my favorite pieces of media, but an actual GOOD adaptation of one of my favorite pieces of media. 4 Years ago I listened to the ‘Project Hail Mary’ audiobook and had an absolute blast. Rocky and Grace’s friendship and the greater story coupled superbly with a fantastic narrator and sound design. It might be the best audiobook experience with a single narrator I’ve ever had and I would strongly recommend giving it a listen, even if you’ve already watched the movie. Actually, ESPECIALLY even if you already watched the movie, as the movie trims a lot of fat from the book for the sake of the adaptation. Don’t get me wrong, most of the decisions in the movie with regards to adapting the book make for a better CINEMATIC experience. But it’s still more than worth it to go back and listen to or read the the source material to get an even greater experience.

As for the movie itself, like I said, it was an excellent adaptation of the book. Almost every setting was exactly how I imagined it to be. Grace’s classroom and students were practically ripped out of the book and his original lab was what I had pictured in my head. Hail Mary was brought to life with great detail as was Rocky’s ship. The connection tube between their two ships where the have their first meetings was perfectly recreated and the inside of Rocky’s ship is as alien as you would imagine. Planet Adrian is a beautiful planet that will stick in my mind for years to come even though we literally only scratch it’s surface.

The characters themselves are also faithfully brought to big screen…well, the important ones are anyway. Rocky and Stratt are the splitting images of their book counterparts and while I was skeptical of Ryan Gosling as the dorky Grace, he does a solid job of getting into the role. After the first few minutes, I only saw Ryland Grace on the screen and that’s the sign of a job well done. Officer Carl gets more screen time then I remember in the book but he’s a good character for Grace to bounce off of and bro out with. As for the other characters…they are present. They suffer the most from the fat cutting the movie does to fit the story into a two hour thirty minute run time. So you’re never really properly introduced to the rest of the scientists that help to craft the Hail Mary and I feel that’s a shame, as it shows the global effort it took to get the longshot spacecraft created. Still, for the time movie has, I agree with most of the cuts even I feel it could have used one more scene to showcase the other supporting characters.

As for the main trio, like I said, they are brought to life on the big screen though Rocky and Grace get far more screen time than Stratt. In the book, Stratt has several more scenes where you see just how much responsibility she has and how far she’s willing to wield that responsibility in order to save the world. In the movie you get hints of it but her film counterpart is far softer than the woman from the books. Which works for the movie, as without the rest of the cast you need Stratt to be just the tiniest bit softer since there is no one to counter balance her. Still, if there was any one character I said you would need to read to book to get a more clear picture of them, it’s Stratt.

All that said, I understand why the movie cuts out scenes for so many other characters as it focuses on the most important relationship, Grace and Rocky. Heck, the movie understands how important it is because it’s practically speedrunning the first 15%-20% of the book to get here. Which would be another reason I would say you should also listen to the audiobook, though I don’t believe it would be as enjoyable as it would if you went in blind. I didn’t really know anything about the book aside from it being set in space whenever I picked it up and seeing Grace slowly piece together where he was an engaging experience that was perfectly capped by the appearance of Rocky. You also get more detail on the Astrophage threat as it’s a bit of a slow buildup in the first couple of flashbacks that the movie jams together back to back to back at lightning speed. Which was fine, it got the point across well enough and I feel like the General audience would have been a bit restless if the first fifth of the book had been adapted as faithfully as it could have. Still, I’d again recommend listening to or reading the book to get a greater emphasis on that part of the story.

You won’t see me saying that for Rocky and Grace’s relationship, however. The single best part of the book is also the single best part of the movie. From first contact to their final scene in the film together, the growing friendship between the two main characters is simply enthralling. Outside of Mass Effect and Star Trek, this is possibly the best Human-Alien friendship I’ve come across. And it’s certainly the best of the non-humanoid ones. The two bounce off each other brilliantly as you can see their dynamic on full display even when they aren’t fully able to communicate with one another. Rocky’s frustrations with how ‘dumb’ Grace can be and Grace’s ‘amazement’ at everything Rocky is capable of bring about some of the funniest parts of the film. As an aside, the movie also does a great job adapting Weir’s comedic writing. There are also a few emotional moments that brought a tear to the eyes of many people in my audience. There are a few scenes left on the cutting room floor here and there but that’s ok as there is more then enough to enjoy and get the full experience of this great Xeno bromance. The movie evens adds a few scenes and changes one scene for the better, in my opinion. Overall, as far as Rocky and Grace’s friendship is concerned, no complaints on my end.

The ending of the movie has also has some changes, as it changes where Grace’s final memory is placed and it works well enough for how they structured the overall movie even if my preference is still where the book places it. It also adds a scene where were simply not able to get from the book since it was entirely told from Grace’s point of view and I think it’s the best addition the movie makes, as it gives even more of an emotional payoff for the story than the book did. Most of the original ending is still there, however, and like the rest of the movie it’s adapted wonderfully and the closing scene of the film is a wonderful not to end on. I only have one small complaint and that would be that they leave out a detail about food supply that makes Grace’s actions in the finale even more impactful but it’s not a big deal.

I really loved this movie and my wife and I are planning on seeing it again really soon. I’d recommend you do the same, though maybe read the audiobook before seeing it if you can somehow fit that in. A great 9/10.