“Project Hail Mary” is a top tier book to film adaptation
The latest in popular book to film adaptations delivers accuracy, emotional storytelling and realistic science fiction.
By Michaela Ely
Book to film adaptations are often criticized for inaccurately representing the story an author was trying to tell, for example, the original Percy Jackson movie adaptations. “Project Hail Mary,” released in theaters March 20, does not and should not share this criticism.
Based on a book of the same name by Andy Weir, “Project Hail Mary” follows Dr. Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, as he attempts to find a way to stop Earth’s sun from dimming due to an energy-consuming cell called “astrophage.”
Both the book and the movie are told in a nonlinear timeline as they begin with Grace waking up alone from an induced coma in a spaceship where his other crew mates have died, with memory loss. As the story progresses, the audience learns more about why he is on the ship and what his goal is.
This is not the first time Weir’s books have been adapted; “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, released in 2015. Weir’s storytelling niche lies in creating science fiction books that involve real science and math applied in scenarios that push the limits of what our current math and science allow us to do. For science and math nerds like myself, his books provide a more interesting take on science fiction. “Project Hail Mary” is a bit different from other books by Weir. It still relies on the science and math of his other books, but it introduces a more classic science fiction trope: aliens.
Some fans of the book were originally concerned about the portrayal of Rocky, the alien who shows up about one-third of the way through the book. However, the portrayal of Rocky is one of the best parts of this film. Rocky is from the planet Erid, which is also struggling with their sun dimming due to astrophage. Rocky and Grace meet at Tau Ceti, the only star that has been unaffected by the astrophage. His portrayal in the film, specifically his melodic language that sounds like a mix of cat and whale sounds, is incredible and felt very accurate to the book.
Gosling’s performance as Dr. Ryland Grace is done very well. Gosling continuously delivers on emotional beats throughout the film as his character continues to remember more of his past. The interactions between Rocky and Grace are a key part of the story in the book and the film, and it is done in a way that feels genuine. Gosling’s portrayal of Grace as he discovers Rocky and how they begin to communicate is one of the most entertaining parts of the film, especially when they examine the differences between their species.
Another compelling performance in this film is Sandra Hüller’s performance as Eva Stratt, a government agent who is willing to do anything to make sure the Earth is saved. Hüller’s portrayal of Stratt is exactly what I imagined as I read the book. Stratt is the kind of character that makes you think about what an individual’s life means when you’re trying to save an entire planet. Hüller manages to capture a combination of the coldness and the love of humanity that Stratt needs to have in order to be willing to sacrifice a few to save the planet.
This film’s story thrives because of its complex characters, and it does not shy away from telling these characters’ stories. An unlikely hero, an alien that looks like a spider made of rock and a woman who will do anything to save the world makes for an incredibly compelling cast of characters that you can’t help but keep watching.
