Project Hail Mary – Book vs Movie Review

Project Hail Mary 2026
PG-13 2h 36m
Ryan Gosling and James Ortiz in Project Hail Mary (2026)

Movie Description:

Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years from Earth. As his memory returns, he uncovers a mission to stop a mysterious substance killing the sun, and save Earth. An unexpected friendship may be the key.

Directors
Phil Lord Christopher Miller
Writers
Drew Goddard Andy Weir
Stars
Ryan Gosling Sandra Hüller James Ortiz

 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

First published May 4, 2021

Book Blurb: Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission – and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?

Literary awards
Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2022), Geffen Award for Best Translated Science Fiction Book (2023), Audie Award for Best Audiobook and Science Fiction (2022), Lincoln Award Nominee (2024), Nutmeg Book Award for High School (2025), Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction (2021), Green Mountain Book Award (2023), RUSA CODES Reading List Nominee for Science Fiction (2022)

 

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THIS POST MAY HAVE SPOILERS. There’s just no way to talk about this book/movie in any kind of meaningful detail without revealing some of the special plot points. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, and have zero knowledge of what happens in the book – I highly highly recommend not watching a trailer and just reading the book first. The audiobook is spectacular. The amazement factor of discovering everything along with our protag is an experience not to be missed. And yes, it is accessible despite being hard sci-fi. The core of this book is the heart not the science.

 

Julie’s Review:

I saw the movie on opening weekend. It has been over a week now and I still can’t wrap my thoughts around all the vibes. The amount of emotional intelligence this movie holds was epic, and it left me both hopeful and also depressed about our world. I really enjoyed the book, but I fully appreciated it after enjoying the movie. Now I want to read the book again.

Book Review:

I went back to when we read this book for book club last fall and I realized I never wrote a review. So even then I couldn’t get my thoughts collected. It is just too big to put into words. Big emotions. Big friendship. Just *gestures wildly*

At its heart, the story is about a guy, just a nerdy researcher middle school science teacher, who really doesn’t think of himself as any kind of special sauce hero. He just wants to enjoy his life and teach the kids. And suddenly he’s forced into this epic mission of the highest stakes there are, and he does not at all believe is he the right guy for the job. But does he become the right guy for the job? Damn straight! And does he go through an amazing character arc where he finds something worth sacrificing for, something bigger than himself? He sure does. And it’s not what we’d expect.

Rocky and Grace’s unexpected friendship is the best part of the story. Their banter, learning how to communicate with each other and gaining so much more wisdom from each other, ultimately joining together to solve both their world’s survival problem.

“Your ship has more science that my ship. Better science. I bring my things in to your ship. Release tunnel. You make your ship spin for science. You and me science how to kill Astrophage together. Save Earth. Save Erid. This is good plan, question?”
― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary

Yes the book is hard sci-fi but the science is more accessible and not as tedious as most hard sci-fis (which is a genre I don’t read often). (Note here that I did find The Martian tedious, but this one not as much.) If listening on audio you can speed up those parts if they intimidate you. But be sure to slow it back down when in space please.

It is just so quotable!

“Good good. Enough talk. Check breeder tanks, please.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Let me get some water first.’
He bounces and skitters down his tube to the lab. ‘Why humans need water so much, question? Inefficient life-forms!’
…
‘Eiridians need water too, you know.’
‘We keep inside. Closed system. Some inefficiencies inside, but we get all water we need from food. Humans leak! Gross!’
I laugh as I float in to the lab where Rocky is waiting. ‘On Earth, we have a scary, deadly creature called a spider. You look like one of those, just so you know.’
‘Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob.”
― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary

My Movie Experience:

What I liked: Seeing this beautiful movie in the theater is what cinema is all about. I loved that they made everything real – built a real set of the space ship for Ryan Gosling to move around in. Built a real 3D puppet with multiple puppeteers for our favorite rock character of all time. Used real effects not CGI for creating the scenes in space. And the credits are full of actual photos of space! It was just beautiful. Ryan Gosling was perfect for Ryland Grace. His goofy tees, knit sweaters, and slutty little glasses were great to make the character relatable and real. And Ryan Gosling proves he can have chemistry with anyone or anything! The believable surprise and awe, and built friendship between Grace and Rocky enhanced my experience from reading the book. All the interactions were beautiful, hilarious, endearing, and insert all the other emotional words here. And that ending – I would have rioted if it didn’t end that way. Instant cheering and tears.

Some notes: This is a wonderful adaptation and it remains so true to the book. Sure there are some enhancements for movie magic and of course not everything can make it from a book into an adaptation. Though I did hear the original movie as filmed was over 3 and a half hours before it got cut down to the final version, and I would love to see the extended cut. Give me all of it! The one big note I had was at the point {spoiler ahead} where Grace realizes Rocky is in trouble, the Taumeba is eating through his ship and Grace has to make the choice to continue back to Earth or turn around and help Rocky save Erid. There’s a beautiful conversation in the book between Grace and Rocky. With Grace knowing he will run out of food and he accepts this fact – finally for the first time on this one-way mission he finally accepts his fate and chooses it. Despite having a way out, because while originally him going on a mission to find a way to save Earth was not enough to convince him, now him knowing he can save Erid and help his best friend Rocky gave him something to be brave for.  That would have been great to include in the movie. That part felt very glossed over. In the book it felt like the biggest part of his character development. And then Rocky turning around and saying no way man we will find a way, you can’t die. And then the “me” burger part.

I saved so many quotes on Goodreads!

“Good good,’ he says. ‘I make sure my people take good care of you. They will make Astrophage maybe for you to go home!’
‘Yeah…’ I say. ‘About that… I’m not going home. The beetles will save Earth. But I won’t ever see it again.’
His joyous bouncing stops. ‘Why, question?’
‘I don’t have enough food. After I take you back to Erid, I will die.’
‘You… you can no die.’ His voice gets low. ‘I no let you die. We send you home. Erid will be grateful. You save everyone. We do everything to save you.’
‘There’s nothing you can do,’ I say. ‘There’s no food. I have enough to last until we get to Erid and then a few months more. Even if your government gave me the Astrophage to get home, I wouldn’t survive the trip.’
‘Eat Erid food. We evolve from same life. We use same proteins. Same chemicals. Same sugars. Must work!’
‘No, I can’t eat your food, remember?’
‘You say is bad for you. We find out.’
I hold up my hands. ‘It’s not just bad for me. It will kill me. Your whole ecology uses heavy metals all over the place. Most of them are toxic to me. I’d die immediately.’
He trembles. ‘No. You can no die. You are friend.’
I float closer to the divider wall and talk softly. ‘It’s okay. I made my decision. This is the only way to save both of our worlds.’
He backs away. ‘Then you go home. Go home now. I wait here. Erid maybe send another ship someday.’
‘That’s ridiculous. Do you really want to risk the survival of your entire species on that guess?’
He’s silent for a few moments and finally answers. ‘No.”
― Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary

What I didn’t like: Don’t go see the movie with a nerd. I made the mistake of telling my husband this book is based in real science (per the author himself, a lot of it is true to science) so alllll I got to hear were the non realistic science things. He woke up the next morning after we saw the movie and before a “good morning” I get “and another thing that was wrong in the movie” OMG! (But he did really like movie!)

 

Lynn’s Review:

I think this is not an either or choice between the book and the movie. It’s a both choice. The book has all the details. The movie has amazing visuals. Do both. Don’t choose. 

Project Hail Mary is that book for me. That one book I recommend to every single person who asks for a recommendation. I have been obsessed since it was released. The audiobook is phenomenal. Ray Porter deserves all the accolades. But Andy Weir’s writing is really what keeps me coming back. For Weir to build that emotional connection between Grace and Rocky is stunning. There is also science. And adventure. And the whole saving the universe situation. Or really two universes situation. Love. Love. Love. Will not ever stop recommending. 

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this movie since it was announced 5 years ago. And as the release date got closer, I really started to worry that it would not live up to my expectations. Then I started watching all the featurettes and interviews. And I began to think the hype might be real. (And that maybe I’ve watched all the fun scenes in those featurettes.) Love. Love. Love. The visuals are stunning. And knowing (all those featurettes!) that little CGI was used is awe-inspiring. Having those visuals of Grace and Rocky enhanced my experience. My imagination could not even begin to think of those things. Ryan Gosling really is Ryland Grace. And James Ortiz performing Rocky’s lines is outstanding. Rocky really does come to life in the movie, and is the star. My only real notes is yes, this movie is way condensed from the book. The missing scenes and details (like the me-meat!) did not detract from my experience. I loved the addition of that space on the ship where Grace could feel like he’s on Earth. And, like I said earlier, read the book AND watch the movie for the full experience! 

Out of all of the featurettes and reels I’ve watch, this one really does encompass my feelings. 

 

 

 

 

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So the most important questions are:

1. Have you seen this amaze amaze amaze movie? And, how many times did you tear up, question?
2. Will you be preordering this Deluxe special edition of the book?

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