Estimated Reading Time: 4min

I’m not going to lie, but I was SUPER excited when I saw the ads for this movie being released because Project Hail Mary was a favourite of mine from Andy Weir… Here we go! Careful reading below because SPOILERS!

I originally read this book back when it came out, but I decided to forge ahead with the movie with only a few years old memory of the actual book. Once I watched it, however, I had to go back and read it properly to compare. This time, though, I was able to listen to the audiobook.

Audiobook Advantage

The whole reason the book had been recommended to me was apparently because of how good the audio was, and for Rocky’s sake, I have to agree!

How Faithful Was The Adaptation?

The movie did a great job at sticking pretty closely with the book, particularly the first 2/3 of the story. The last third condensed the science and for the sake of the screen time, thank you all. It didn’t take away from the story very much doing it that way, and because they had done such a great job with the rest of the adaptation, it was forgivable and didn’t feel too smooshed as it can with some movies that do this.

The Rocky Reveal Problem

I was disappointed when I saw the trailer that Rocky was such a focus, because when you read the book, EVERYONE kept that a secret. You found out about Rocky as Grace did after a portion of the book as a big surprise. I understand why the trailer focussed on it, and Rocky is such a fun character that after the initial shock that the audience wasn’t going to get a fun surprise like Grace did, I was okay with it.

My Biggest Change From the Book

I felt like Ryan did a really good job at playing Grace on screen, but I don’t really know why we got a more humanised version of Stratt. She’s supposed to be unlikable. That’s the point. I don’t know why Hollywood is obsessed with trying to make people more likeable at the detriment of the ‘bad guy’ feel they are supposed to have. I know people like to think that deep down the troubled villains are just tortured, but sometimes people are just bad. They just let the evil win, and there’s not much we can do to excuse or to explain it away (speak to a psychopathic serial killer one day and then say people are just complicated). Having said that, Stratt wasn’t some sociopathic killer, but she didn’t need that much humanisation in my opinion. She could have just remained the character she was on page (who, by the by, did explain why she made the decisions she did and they did make sense… we just didn’t need the warm and fuzzies to round it out).

The Visual Experience

Seeing the visual of things that were explained in the book was amazing. I loved being able to see not just an interpretation of Rocky, but the ships and the story unfolding. I think they did a great job at making the movie look good visually. This story was made to be visual, and I enjoyed it a lot.

So… Did the Book or Movie Win?

So, the final question remains, did the book or the movie win out as the best? Well, the book explored a lot more science, a lot more inner dialogue and emotion, as books often do. However, the movie was able to show some of the incredible visuals of this story and explore another side that the book couldn’t. I actually think I’m calling a tie, because I was so impressed with how the movie handled the story. If I HAD to pick, the book would probably squeak by, simply because of the additional details it was able to bring (and there’s more Rocky in there than the movie!).

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Have you seen Project Hail Mary, or read the book? Did you enjoy it, or think it could have improved? Share below!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace