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As the blockbuster season is slowly coming upon us, Project Hail Mary has gracefully (pun intended) made it to the big screen as an adaptation from the 2021 book with the same title. With stunning visuals and a story of curiosity and friendship, the film has captured the hearts of many audiences, gradually becoming a fan favorite science fiction film.
Being someone who read the book before watching the film, I went into my first watch with a more critical lens than others may have, but I was pleasantly surprised by their dedication to bringing the book to life. With some minor cuts from the book as well as additional original scenes for the film, the balance between sticking to the source material while also spicing things up to make it visually appealing made for a great watching experience.
From Book to Screen
When it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, I am a bit late to the draw. Typically, I’ll watch a film and read the book after, but in this case, I got to read Project Hail Mary before seeing the film. The characterization of Rocky (James Ortiz) and Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) was just as charming in the film as in the book. The camaraderie between the two was the biggest reason I couldn’t put the book down, and the film captured their chemistry so well. Gosling did an amazing job creating a strong relationship with a CGI creature, something not every actor can do.
There were a lot of scenes that were cut from the film that were in the book that surprised me. The entire premise of the story is the external conflict—the end of the world becoming more imminent—but there were other conflicts throughout the book that added some tension that didn’t make it into the film. After discovering that the Astrophage have a predator, somehow they end up in Grace’s engine and all of the Astrophage die, shutting down the entire ship. This is one of the biggest problems in the book that gets completely skipped in the film. Obviously, there’s only so long a film can be, but it really took me by surprise that the film didn’t take advantage of these scenes to add more tension, and instead went for the comedic route in most cases.
Show, Don’t Tell
The film also does a great job at showing, not telling. With most of the book being written from Grace’s perspective, it’s hard to transfer that to film, but they made a great attempt. We get much more time with the original recruits for the mission in the book, but in the film, we see them few and far between; yet the relationships built are still just as strong. Grace’s personality as a science teacher is also very compelling, and even with fewer mentions of his students, you can tell where his priorities lie and how great a teacher he is just by the subtext of the film.
A perfect addition to the film was the use of Rocky’s perspective. Rocky and all Eridians see through sound waves, something humans can’t process, as we have eyes. The film took the initiative to show a few scenes from Rocky’s perspective, using the visual medium to explain the difference in the human and eridian experience without going into much detail. It also relates to the experiment Grace was performing for his class at the beginning of the film, making for a great parallel.
Stunning Visuals
The visuals of the movie are so stunning. Space in film can be pretty bleak and stale, but Project Hail Mary goes above and beyond. Because the film is set in an entirely different solar system, why not have fun with it! The contrast between the bright greens and oranges of Adrian and the reds and pinks of the IR light—emphasizing the Astrophage in the Petrova line—is absolutely insane; it’s exactly the kind of visual experimentation that should be done in science fiction films.
One detail that I loved was any time light glared in the scene, a tiny petrova line appeared with it. It’s such a small detail, but it creates a constant reminder of why Rocky and Grace are in the situation they are. As the story progresses and they get closer to their solution, the color of the line changes from blue to warmer colors, something that I found very creative and a small touch that tells the story without giving away too much in dialogue.
Rocky and Grace Save Cinema
Being an early entry to popcorn movie season, Project Hail Mary is a solid start to a great year for the film industry. Audiences want compelling stories and great visuals to keep them entertained for the full runtime, and with the way 2026 is going, this seems pretty promising. As Rocky would say, “Rocky Grace save movies!”
Graphic created by Ian Case with image courtesy of Sony Pictures
Sources: IMDb, Goodreads, IMDb, IMDb
Images: Sony Pictures
Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or on Instagram @sjasionowski.
