Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations)
The movie was great fun - but was it as good as the book? Also, we address the really important questions, like whether it is physically possible to get tired of looking at Ryan Gosling.
Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time · Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer
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Show Notes
If you thought The Martian was intense, let's just go ahead and raise the stakes.
We break down the movie version of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, comparing the film with the fun technical problem solving of the original novel. We take a close look at how the movie brings the "astrophage" threat and and action to life, more importantly, whether it is possible to have your hair tousled 100% of the time.
We dig into which complex scientific explanations were streamlined for Hollywood pacing and which "science-ing the heck out of it" moments remained intact. We also evaluate Ryan Gosling’s performance as the amnesiac-turned-savior, Ryland Grace, comparing his onscreen energy to the internal monologue that made the book a bestseller. Whether you’re a die-hard Rocky fan or a casual viewer who just loves a good space movie, this episode highlights the hits and misses of the transition from page to screen.
We wrap up by answering the ultimate questions: is the movie worth watching? Is the book worth reading? Settle on in, enjoy, and fist our bump.
- Join the Hugonauts book club on discord
- Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video
As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.
Similar books and movies we recommend:
- The Martian (book and movie)
- Story of Your Life (novela) and Arrival (movie)
- 2001 (book and movie)
- Solaris (book and movie)
- Roadside Picnic (book) and Stalker (the movie)
- Children of Men (book and movie)
- Edge of Tomorrow (movie) and All you Need is Kill (book)
- War of the Worlds (book and movie)
- Dune (we love eyebrows)
This episode is sponsored by STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar: https://www.starløk.com/
If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:
- 00:00 Intro and review
- 02:26 Sponsor – STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar
- 03:04 Differences in the movie
- 8:13 Jokes vs cheesiness
- 10:15 How long can you look at Ryan Gosling?
- 12:16 Ever-tousled hair
- 16:27 Read or watch first?
- 17:53 The Martian
- 18:33 Story of Your Life & Arrival
- 19:46 2001 20:56 Solaris
- 22:03 Roadside Picnic & Stalker
- 23:54 Children of Men
- 25:30 All You Need is Kill & Edge of Tomorrow
- 26:38 War of the Worlds
- 28:16 Annihilation
- 28:56 Dune (we love eyebrows)
- 30:11 POST SPOILERS discussion