Project Hail Mary Review
Amaze amaze amaze
I’ve just come back from an early IMAX showing of Project Hail Mary, which I enjoyed a lot. It’s a pretty faithful adaptation of the book by Andy Weir, who also authored the Martian. Inevitably, this film will be compared to the adaptation of that one.
Compared to the book, the film speeds through some of the science, and this is probably for the best. Were everything on the page to be included the film would be perhaps 4 hours long and terrible. The film correctly places the relationship between the scientist Grace and his alien friend Rocky at the centre of the story, and its more about how they work together to save their respective planets than on precisely how they do it.
Arguably, even mentioning Rocky is a spoiler - but he is heavily featured in the trailers and promotional materials, and the puppet has even made public appearances. Some fans questioned this choice; but having seen the film I think that they realised they had an iconic character on their hands and understandably wanted to make the most of it. He is created with practical effects and is hugely expressive despite lacking any kind of face.
