The movie version of the popular sci-fi book “Project Hail Mary” came out on March 20 and earned $140.9 million in just the opening weekend. It is a tremendous success so far, and it is enjoyable even though the movie version’s focus strays from that of the book.
As someone who read the book, I was curious how the writers would portray the science aspects of the movie, as most of the scientific realizations are in the main character’s thoughts in the book.
Instead, the film changed the main theme of the story from science to the friendship between Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) and Rocky (James Ortiz), making it an even bigger plot point than in the book, which focused on Grace’s scientific endeavors to find a predator to stop Astrophage, his recovery of memories and his friendship with Rocky.
The movie misses or deemphasizes a couple of plot points, in particular the issue of Taumoeba getting loose on the ship and eating most of his Astrophage, which is the energy source powering his ship back to earth. This does have to deal with the lack of time they have available, as it is a 500-page book, and the movie’s run time was two hours and 36 minutes.
This change does not ruin the movie, as it is still loyal to the book with its blend of the wonders of science and the emotions of friendship. Gosling was an excellent choice for this role and perfectly portrayed a person unwilling to die and struggling to lose someone.
The lack of scientific information was made up for by the incredible acting by all the cast, along with the writing, which pulled in the audience and made it feel like they were experiencing the situation themselves, such as Grace’s complaining video about Rocky and when the two first met.
The book was funny at times, and the movie showed this as well, adding a few extra quips to make it feel a little happier. The shift away from science also makes it lighter, which is understandable as the movie now can appeal to a larger audience than just sci-fi fans.
One obvious addition was the karaoke scene that Stratt sang. This scene was not in the book, and was not in the script until Gosling, the star and producer, suggested it, thinking it wouldn’t move the plot forward but would enrich the story. Stratt, played by Sandra Hüller, oversees Project Hail Mary and recruits Grace to help save the world. During this scene, the members of Project Hail Mary were singing and relaxing before the mission, and Stratt decided to join in for one song, singing “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles.
At first, I was doubtful about this scene, but after reflection I am happy that they added it. It adds a sense of humanity to Stratt’s character, who is portrayed as kinder person in the movie. The movie in general is more hopeful or kid-friendly than the book and singing “Sign of the Times” is very impactful to the story, as the lyrics include, “They told me that the end is near, we gotta get away from here.”
The movie may be less realistic than the book, but I still enjoyed it and was able to relax into the changes easily, and Andy Weir, the writer of the book and made choices that made the story and emotions come to life from the moment it started, such as Grace teaching his students at the beginning and the music when he retrieved the sample from the planet Adrien.
The only complaint I have is the amount of music montages while Grace worked on the projects. Sometimes I wished we had genuine reactions to the problems rather than him talking about it after the fact. There were also a few science mistakes or issues that were cleared up in the books that they did not address, but it never took me out of the story.
But in general, the movie was fantastic and very enjoyable to watch. I appreciate that they kept the ending exactly the same, and those who did not read the book would be able to understand it. Although science was less of a priority, the movie nailed humanity and emotion, and it would be a deserving title to call it one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.
