Have you ever read a Sci-Fi novel that was so good you had to watch the movie immediately afterwards?
I just did.
And it has left me in shambles.
I’ll be honest, I don’t usually pick up a Sci-Fi book, but I had been meaning to get into the genre for a while now, so when I saw that there was this book called ‘Project Hail Mary’ that was on everyone’s radar, and which I couldn’t escape for longer than 2 and a half TikToks, I had to buy it. I had to see what all the craze was about. What was it about the friendship between a human and a rock that was touching people’s hearts?
Cue the pathetic sobbing. I love that rock. I would die for that rock. Andy Weir has this amazing ability to make his readers feel deeply connected to his characters, and this book was no exception.
Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a school teacher, who wakes up in a spaceship that is light-years from the solar system and, of course, because it wasn’t already bad enough, is afflicted with amnesia. We follow him as he figures out why he’s there, and we learn that the sun is dying, which means the earth will freeze over, which means that all humans will die. And Grace is their only hope to save humanity. Talk about pressure.
Anyways, Grace meets an alien. An intelligent one (crazy, I know). The alien looks like a 5-legged rock so naturally, his name is Rocky. Through a lot of trial and error, and some humorous quips and sarcasm sprinkled in, the 2 friends find a solution to the apocalypse facing each of their planets and save their species from certain extinction (spoiler, sorry). It was a happy ever after.
The book was so fun to read, and it is a very accessible Sci-Fi novel. The science and the experiments didn’t throw me for a loop but served as a grounded setting for experiencing the story. The story had good progression as it shifted between the present day and the flashbacks that Grace had throughout. The selling point of the book, in my opinion, was definitely the relationship that developed between Grace and Rocky as they tried to work through their differences in language, culture, and technology. There was a lot of stumbling and clumsiness at the start, but that was what made their bond feel so precious at the end. They are so adorable, believe me.
The only qualm I have with this book is that it reads as if the story was really trying for Grace to be a likeable, relatable character that the audience loves and always agrees with; and while it managed to pull that off most of the time, now and again it came off as too audience-pleasing, if I dare say so myself. The humour felt a little forced sometimes, for instance, when Grace asked that Russian guy out for drinks. Yikes. And it felt like the book was trying to make Grace a really ‘woke’ person, which is much appreciated, but it was a little too on-the-nose. The scene where he argues with Eva Stratt about women’s rights felt like the author was saying, “Look, ladies! This man cares about your rights and opportunities.” Which, again, isn’t wrong, but it didn’t come off as Grace really caring for women’s rights, but more so that the author wanted you to know that he cares about them.
These were the only 2 scenes that made me go, “Wait, what?” and it’s a really small part of the book, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much. The rest of the book was amazing and intriguing. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who’s looking for a page-turner.
That being said, I obviously had to see the movie immediately after, and it did not disappoint. Novels like Project Hail Mary are usually really difficult to adapt into movies because of how long and detail-oriented they are. You would’ve had to cut a lot of content to fit it into a 2-and-a-half-hour movie, which may make the story seem clunky and rushed. However, the directors, Phil and Chris, integrated the story so well from the book to the movie form. The story remained compelling and fun. Ryan Gosling, who played Ryland Grace, was also exceptional in his acting. Hey, whoever’s idea it was to put Ryan in glasses needs a pay raise. Rocky was my favourite character, undisputedly, of course. They made an alien with no face or distinguishable features feel so human and lovable, which is really just an ode to the exceptional writing.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset about the content from the book being cut out, but alas, that is the fate of a reader watching adaptations of their favourite books. It’s simply impossible to fit everything into a movie; a bummer, really. I wish we could’ve seen the experimental process in a bit more detail, but perhaps I’m just being greedy and spoiled. Regardless, the movie felt seamless and smooth in its production. It provided enough information to be understandable, but it also trusted the audience’s intelligence. It didn’t feel like the audience was being spoon-fed the story.
I have found a new favourite song in Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times’ and have plunged myself deep into the science fiction genre (The Martian and Interstellar are next on my radar).
All in all, in my unimportant opinion, I believe that this is a really fun and interesting book which can get one out of a reading slump, and an excellent introduction to the science fiction genre. I hope it resonates with everyone as much as it did with me.