Science Fiction is one of my favorite genres ever, put simply, it is one of the best genres for storytelling. Telling a science fiction story requires a level of creativity that most other genres do not require, that being the creativity to come up with advanced technologies to fill the roles that the story requires. Andy Weir is one of my favorite Science Fiction writers of all time, he has written 3 books at the time of this article, those being The Martian, Artemis and Project Hail Mary. Two of these books have been adapted into live action films, those being The Martian in 2015 directed by Ridley Scott, and most recently Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. I absolutely loved the Martian, it is in my Top 10 movies of all time, and it was one of the reasons I love science fiction.
When the Project Hail Mary was announced, I was skeptical that it would be a good adaptation, and more importantly a good movie. I was worried that it would be a soulless cash grab, that did not have the prerequisite passion mixed into the film making process. The Trailers looked promising, but was it worth it? Would it live up to my expectations, only time could tell. Throughout March I waited and waited, for twentieth, when the film would be released in theaters.
After watching the film, I can confidently say that this movie is amazing. It combines the right amount of drama with comedy and irony, all in a visually stunning way that makes the film one of the greats. Ryan Gosling absolutely crushes it in the role of Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher turned astronaut with a mission to save the solar system. The stakes are high, but not absurd and abstract. This movie will certainly make you laugh, and maybe make you cry a little bit.
It certainly is a good movie, but is it a good adaptation? I can also confidently say that it is.
