ListNook

WeWantMOAR Mar 25, 2026 +923

They really should watch the other half. Seems odd.

923

Scorpio_Hierophant Mar 25, 2026 +162

Its these damn TikTok kids, they can't pay attention for that long!

162

goonbali Mar 25, 2026 +18

Yes, but that movie is 2.5 hrs, and if you add the preview, that’s 3 hours.

18

chocolatedesire Mar 25, 2026 +25

So normal for a movie of this type and nothing new or hard about watching it?

25

Ok-Air3126 Mar 25, 2026 +12

They tell you the length of previews down to the minute. You shouldn't be showing up 35 minutes early for ads

12

BadAtExisting Mar 26, 2026 +2

Lord of the Rings Return of the King was 3.5 hours runtime (plus previews) Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers were both 3 hours (plus previews) Titanic was 3 hours fifteen minutes runtime (plus previews) Avengers Endgame was 3 hours (plus previews) Like what’s your point?

2

Jagged_Rhythm Mar 26, 2026 +1

More than anything else, this is what keeps me from going to theaters. I know I'm going to have to piss at least twice, and that means you're missing part of the movie.

1

PepsiAllDay78 Mar 25, 2026 +1

I always buy my ticket ahead of time, and don't come in until the actual previews. Saves a lot of time!

1

paskapersepaviaani Mar 26, 2026 +1

You guys got past the intro??? I have heard legends....

1

Floki47z Mar 26, 2026 +1

No one cares about their toxic asinine opinions anyways

1

lostroadrunner22 Mar 25, 2026 +10

The second half falls apart. Becomes like .. schindlers List 2

10

WeWantMOAR Mar 25, 2026 +13

I didn't expect him to just be reading from the list tbh

13

lostroadrunner22 Mar 25, 2026 +6

48 minutes of Ryan Gosling saying names.

6

maniBchef Mar 25, 2026 +4

What nobody knew...... There was a second list. Coming this holiday season. Schindler has his list and he's checkin it twice.

4

Fit-Switch-5795 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Adolf, you appear to be on the Naughty List.

1

gilestowler Mar 25, 2026 +2

Maybe they needed the toilet and they wrote the article while they were sat there curling one out.

2

Brassboar Mar 25, 2026 +4

Left at intermission.

4

WeWantMOAR Mar 25, 2026 +6

I had to pee 5mins in and waited til the end. Could've used a pee break, but I was so capitivated by the craftsmanship of the production.

6

infrastructure Mar 25, 2026 +463

I also think the second half is damn near perfect too

463

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +185

I think the second half felt rushed just because of all the stuff that happens in the book. But there is no way to include it all without making it a 2 part movie and I’m thankful as f*** they didn’t do that. So I agree it’s about as perfect as could be given the runtime.

185

Snoo3763 Mar 25, 2026 +47

I didn't read the book and went in with zero knowledge or expectations, I didn't feel any gear shift in pace, I loved the whole film.

47

WestleyMc Mar 25, 2026 +23

I think it might only be noticeable if you have

23

Resident_Wizard Mar 26, 2026 +1

There’s a lot of fleshed out problems to solve in the book. They touch on them and hit a resolution instantaneously in the movie. I hate to ask for a longer movie, but I’d love it if they added in a Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul-esque problem solving montage for one or two of the problems. It’s understandable why they didn’t, the movie was faithful in hitting nearly every plot point possible in 150 minutes. But the problem solving is part of what makes Weirs story telling so great.

1

westberry82 Mar 25, 2026 +17

In the book problems that take 1-2 chapters to solve were solved in the movie with 3 sentences. Stuff like that but still excellent.

17

Mistrblank Mar 26, 2026 +8

I felt like nothing was really left out that mattered or wasn't just told elsewhere. I think it would have been nice for some to know that he basically had every bit of human writing, every schematic, every piece of software in his reach. That was why him giving Rocky the laptop was a big deal, they'd learn all about us. And the heroics of just how they had to find the like 26 people on earth that were capable of going and potentially surviving the comas. But it really did hit on everything in the book and was one of the most faithful adaptations I can remember all while having awesome sound and music and visuals. And I've just told people there was more to him turning around and saving rocky if you were interested in the book for that. I've been waiting most of the last year to see this and it was worth the wait,

8

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +8

Right, because fixing Grace’s ship, reviving Rocky, finding out taumoeba is killed by nitrogen, coming up with the idea of breeding resistant strains, constructing the taumoeba breeding chambers, and breeding the resistant tau all occurs off screen in the movie, but is a substantial portion of the book. That all instead occurs in a 10 minute montage on the screen. Also, Rocky is the engineer and none of that happens without him. It doesn’t work that Grace does it all while Rocky is out of commission. It would be a bit like watching the Lord of the Rings, seeing Frodo and Gandalf at bag end find the ring, and then the next scene they’re at the meeting in Rivendell. It wouldn’t seem all that out of place if you didn’t know a lot happens between the events above.

8

MAELATEACH86 Mar 25, 2026 +5

LOTR is an odd choice for your analogy as the movies skip huge sections of the book. The scouring of the shire, Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Wights, the month they spent at lothlorien, the whole journey back from Gondor near the end, the Faramir and Eowyn love story. The list goes on.

5

revfds Mar 26, 2026 +1

They basically montage their way though a lot of the book where he works out the science of everything. I liked it when reading the book, but it wouldn't have been super compelling to stick a few hours of that in the back half of the movie.

1

QQBearsHijacker Mar 25, 2026 +11

Lord and Miller told SiriusXM that they had a 3h 15min cut of the film. I want that version, which hopefully lets some of the rushed sections breath

11

BadAtExisting Mar 26, 2026 +3

This is where streaming really sucks. It wasn’t uncommon to get the director’s cut of movies in the “special features” portion of the menu on dvd’s and blu-ray’s Further, it was the behind the scenes stuff they would pack into those that made me want to go into filmmaking as a career, and I did and now I’m working on these big shows

3

R3luctant Mar 26, 2026 +4

They definitely rushed things after rocky was injured, the taumeba revelation happened in like 2 minutes

4

OrneryError1 Mar 25, 2026 +2

I'd be cool with an extended cut

2

Mistrblank Mar 26, 2026 +2

Yeah, I've been telling people there was more about him going back to save rocky than in the movie, but it was dropped for the sake of it being a realistically timed movie and makes the final flashbacks flow into the ending.

2

caseybvdc74 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Needs a Lord of the Rings style extended edition

1

RKsu99 Mar 25, 2026 +1

There’s inevitably going to be a sequel, though.

1

Illustrious-Watch-74 Mar 25, 2026 +12

Andy Weir has mentioned he’s left some things open for a potential sequel - but is actively working on other, new, books. It won’t be anytime soon

12

Asluckwouldnthaveit Mar 25, 2026 +5

It's mentioned in the last few pages of the books. They could do it from that characters point of view. Though I don't know if he'd do well with that or not.

5

natigin Mar 25, 2026 +2

I hope instead of a sequel they do a tv series of it where they can explore the science of the show a bit more. The movie adaptation was perfect for what it was trying to accomplish, but the book has so much more to offer if there’s a much longer run time

2

BigoDiko Mar 25, 2026 +2

All books have more to offer. Completely different media.

2

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

The potential for a sequel is one thing. Dividing up a single novel/play/whatever is entirely different and, frankly, a trend I’d like to see go away.

1

rain-dog2 Mar 25, 2026 +10

I’m in love with the bottom half of my wife. I’m also in love with the top half.

10

Grindfather901 Mar 25, 2026 +5

I used to do drugs. I still do, but i used to too.

5

DashedRaine Mar 26, 2026 +2

Heya Mitch! ;)

2

zulutbs182 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Yeah sure, but the left half??

1

farmch Mar 25, 2026 +1

I think it’s one of those movies that everyone liked so everyone’s now having opinions like “Well this half wasn’t perfect!”

1

Loud_Competition5752 Mar 25, 2026 +18

I wanted every scene in the first half to be double the length. It felt like a super long trailer at times. They kinda yadda yadda yadda’d a lot of my favorite parts of the book. All that being said, it was still awesome and I loved watching it

18

rjcarr Mar 26, 2026 +1

Directors basically said they dumbed it down a bit for the masses.

1

LongInTheTooth Mar 25, 2026 +14

When I walked out of SpiderVerse (same directors) the first words out of my mouth were "That movie is _perfect_" Also a big fan of Weir and Gosling so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed.

14

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +79

I went last night with my wife and daughter. Neither have read the books and enjoyed it immensely. I reread the book 1-2 a year. I really enjoyed the movie. I understand why they cut what they did for time, but it’s odd because everything they cut is what actually made Grace and Rocky deeply bond. They cut or greatly truncated: * >! The initial contact between the two. !< * >! The process of learning to communicate. !< * >! Figuring out that Rocky’s species are tremendous engineers but not very technologically advanced in physics and biology. Leading to the understanding of why Rocky’s crew died. !< * >! Designing and building the Predator catcher !< * >! Grace trying to save Rocky and ultimately almost killing him. !< * >! Designing and building the taomoeba chambers !< * >! Rocky helping to fix Grace’s ship !< * >! Grace figuring out the malfunction with the taomoeba chambers and determining to save Rocky’s !< * >! Most of the details of the Grace’s other two crew members. !< Again, I think it was a very good movie anyways and I don’t know how you keep these in their full detail while keeping a reasonable runtime, but it does cheapen a lot of the emotional payoff IMO. Also * >! They cut out a lot of the hard science and most of the ongoing monologue going on with Grace. They handled that a lot better in The Martian IMO. !<

79

PriorityMaleficent Mar 25, 2026 +56

They also cut out: >! Nuking Antarctica to speed up global warming in order to negate some of the sun cooling effects to extend human preservation. !<

56

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +15

Good call. I didn’t think about that one because it didn’t have a direct impact on the character development of Grace and Rocky together, but they definitely truncated a lot of what they did back home.

15

PriorityMaleficent Mar 25, 2026 +15

I was actually wondering how that would've translated in movie form but it was missing all together. >! Also, not making Grace an old man by the end is an understandable choice since it skipped over the dilemma and time the Erids faced when trying to accommodate Grace's life support. My wife asked a valid question on why was Stratt old and Grace stayed the same age. Relativity is a good answer, sort of. But it made more sense for Grace to be old too. !<

15

anillop Mar 26, 2026 +7

The trip was 11 but due to relativity he aged 4. So 22 years passed back on earth while he aged 8.

7

PriorityMaleficent Mar 26, 2026 +3

Yeah, using the logic within the movie. However, the infrastructure that Rocky and his people had to build to keep him alive took a while in a book and I imagine it would take a while just the same in the movie. But that's movies for you. We can suspend that disbelief.

3

anillop Mar 26, 2026 +6

It took a while for them to clone his muscle so he could have a hamburger.

6

Illustrious-Watch-74 Mar 25, 2026 +3

I get why they’d cut out all of the other work being to prolong life on Earth since it’s peripheral to Ryland’s story - but i agree. That scene in the book is short but impactful.

3

No-Common5287 Mar 26, 2026 +1

I’m hoping this makes it into an Extended Director Cut.

1

Jumpy-Coffee-Cat Mar 25, 2026 +21

Well, now I want to read the book and watch the movie

21

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +8

Even with all my critiques, I highly recommend both. I got to enjoy all the high points of the movie because I knew the background. My wife and daughter enjoyed them because, although a bit rushed, the story beats are still there and they’re still good. But now they’re going to read the book and get the deeper tie between the characters. I think both orders (read the watch; watch then read) are good.

8

Mistrblank Mar 26, 2026 +2

I would say I listened to the audio book last year and watched the movie. If you're going to be able to see the movie in the next week in a nice digital, high res theatre with good sound, it's worth it, the book will fill in the gaps. There are "surprises" in the movie that I think just don't work when you're ready for them. And I feel the movie is faithful enough to the book you won't get frustrated reading it after, it is just going to fill in those gaps.

2

PuddingAndPie01 Mar 25, 2026 +23

The audiobook is a million times better than the book imo, I'd advise listening over reading

23

Spiritual_Ad3460 Mar 25, 2026 +5

Ray porter could narrate the worst book and make it great.

5

Andovars_Ghost Mar 25, 2026 +3

If you prefer audiobooks, this one is spectacularly done. If you do not like audiobooks but prefer to read, then this audiobook will not change your mind.

3

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +7

Note that there are at least two different version of the audiobook. The newest one I see on audible, associated with the movie, has a different narrator. **Get the Ray Porter version.**

7

notcool_neverwas Mar 25, 2026 +2

I saw the movie yesterday (loved it) and have been trying to decide between buying the book or downloading the audiobook. I feel like I’ve seen SO many recommendations like yours, saying the audiobook is so much better - I don’t usually like them, but I’m probably gonna go that route!

2

4gotAboutDre Mar 25, 2026 +4

The audiobook is one of the best I have listened to and I listen to a lot of audiobooks. They even had the voice actor for the audiobook in the film as one of the not chosen voice options for Rocky. Such a great Easter egg!

4

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +5

Get the audiobook but make sure the narrator is Ray Porter. There is another version of the book with a different narrator. I cannot speak to the quality of that narrator, but everything good you’re hearing is about Ray.

5

SewSewBlue Mar 26, 2026 +4

It is because they can incorporate Rocky's "voice" in a way that a written book simply can't. The book leans hard into the one thing a audiobook can deliver that written word can't. It really adds to the overall experience. Amaze. Amaze.

4

hippopartymas Mar 26, 2026 +2

I read the book first and then the ray porter audiobook. They’re both wonderful.

2

Crisis-Huskies-fan Mar 26, 2026 +1

Huh? I don’t comprehend how having someone else read the words is a million (???) times better that reading them yourself.

1

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +4

The only complaint I had the book was the problem solving at times became never ending, to the point where the story wasn't moving. Of course they rightfully took a lot out in the movie. But it is undoubtedly one the best science fictions out there.

4

Illustrious-Watch-74 Mar 25, 2026 +2

I actually have the same critique of the Martian. Incredible book, but it does get repetitive.

2

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Martians, to me, was unreadable at times with the math and calculations, to a point where folks I know and myself, skipped pages. The Hail Mary Project wasn't that bad frankly, it was just one problem after the other, after the other.

1

cornflower4 Mar 25, 2026 +1

The book can be very tedious at times.

1

Shinobiii Mar 25, 2026 +1

Sorry, but that’s crazy talk.

1

chop-diggity Mar 25, 2026 +13

I bought the audiobook after watching the movie. Listening to the audio filled in all my gaps of understanding, and made me love the movie even more.

13

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +14

Honestly, my biggest complaint with the movie is that they didn’t just get Ray Porter to do Rocky’s voice. He’s the initial audiobook narrator (though I’m just now seeing they have another narrator for the book) and he did a fantastic job. His narration undoubtedly had a role in the popularity of the book.

14

Agitated_Skin1181 Mar 25, 2026 +3

Yes! I said that to my husband last night on our way out of the theater

3

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

The guy they did get is relatively inexperienced as far as voice actors go, so maybe he was cheaper, but he wasn’t a draw either.

1

rb2m Mar 25, 2026 +2

Going through all the voices for Rocky and I kept waiting to hear Ray Porter. I think who they eventually got did a decent job of trying to sound like Ray Porter though.

2

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +1

True. Ray is amazing!

1

Eranevore Mar 25, 2026 +5

Oh no, did they do jazz hands? It sounds like they didn't do jazz hands : (

5

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +6

They do Amaze! But they don’t take the time to explain it.

6

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +7

It didn't hit as hard as it did in the book. Both the amaze and the jazz hands. Also missed on a lot of hilarious bickering in the book.

7

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Agree. Yes, it does work in context without explaining it, but not nearly as hard without the buildup it took to get to that point. Same thing with all of the development Grace and Rocky does making the tool to capture the taomoeba, breed them, fix Grace’s ship after the blowout, etc.

1

RAWainwright Mar 25, 2026 +2

They 100% do jazz hands and it's mentioned as such at least once.

2

Eranevore Mar 25, 2026 +1

I'm not going to lie, the most important part of this movie for me is going to be jazz hands.

1

RAWainwright Mar 25, 2026 +1

Grace definitely says it once and Rocky does jazz hands a bunch.

1

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

They do it, but without the buildup of learning to communicate, it doesn’t have the same significance it does in the book. They spend way more time on *thumbs up*.

1

RAWainwright Mar 25, 2026 +1

Totally agree but it IS there. I feel it's one of those things included for book readers that's not super needed for the movie.

1

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

It sticks out to me because prior to going to see the movie I did jazz hands amaze at my wife and daughter because I was excited to see the movie. They were like what is that? I told them they’d understand. Then afterwords they are like, so, what was with the jazz hands again? I caught the couple of times they did it, but, as you said, it was a blink and you’ll miss it nod to fans of the novel.

1

RAWainwright Mar 25, 2026 +2

Awe that's a bummer. Now they need to read the books. Fr tho their relationship building is one of my favorite things ever in the book. The movie did okay.

2

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 26, 2026 +2

Yeah I agree it was still a great movie. It was just an odd choice as that’s a pretty iconic part of the novel. I’m fairly confident that many fans of the novel expected it. It’s weird they included it without including any of what made it iconic.

2

the_dayman623 Mar 25, 2026 +4

I do wonder if it was a conscious choice to cut a lot of the inner monologue in order to differentiate it from the Martian. Because I could also see people complaining that it was too similar. Can’t really win either way

4

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +2

Agreed. I think it was a conscious decision just to have him passively do all the science quietly or off screen. I think they hedged on a broader audience appeal and, for one reason or another, didn’t count on being as successful as The Martian with the science.

2

snootchiebootchie94 Mar 25, 2026 +4

I really need to read the book. I loved the movie. Ryan Gosling is a pretty likeable actor and was great in the role. I also love everythign space. I didnt' look at the spoilers, so seems like there might be something to gain from reading it.

4

JohnnyWeapon Mar 25, 2026 +2

Baby goose was the perfect person to play Grace. He’s not quite what I pictured when I read the book, but once I heard he was cast it just seemed like the exact right choice given the mixture of humor and emotional gravitas needed.

2

AnnatoniaMac Mar 25, 2026 +1

I’m rereading the book, I read it when it first came out and was blown away. The second read, I am again blown away, almost finished and don’t want it to end.

1

MrBadMeow Mar 25, 2026 +3

I kept waiting for Rocky to say “lazy human go get!” Easily one of my favorite lines that wasn’t in the movie.

3

theLumonati Mar 25, 2026 +2

They probably filmed most if not all of those plot points. Lord and Miller said they had a 4 hour runtime at one point. I’m guessing we’ll get an extended edition with a lot of added in.

2

FifthRendition Mar 25, 2026 +2

The amount of spoilers here makes me want to read the book now.

2

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +2

It’s worth the read, but the audiobook is phenomenal and many people prefer it due to the quality of the narration. If you go the audio book route, make sure you get Ray Porter’s narration.

2

FifthRendition Mar 25, 2026 +2

Awesome!! I will do this right away. I was going to listen to The Expanse, but I think I'll do this one first 😀 Edit: It's on Spotify for free!!! Wooooooot

2

Ragnarawr Mar 25, 2026 +2

What?! When I was explaining some of why I enjoyed the book to wifey, the most memorable part of the story for me was the meeting/learning to communicate process. It sounds like they neutered the book so much

2

HelpfulTooth1 Mar 26, 2026 +2

Honestly after reading this, I don’t think I want to see the movie, I really enjoyed the book, might leave it at that.

2

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 26, 2026 +1

I want to be clear I still highly recommend the movie. I’ll buy it when it comes out and watch it again. It was a great movie in the theater, and that’s even considering I saw it on a screen with the projector going bad (lots of flickering) and it even cut off for like 10 minutes right before the end. But I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised at what they left out, but I still enjoyed the entire story because I knew what was happening off screen. And I know from my wife and daughter, plus other feedback, that people who haven’t read the book also enjoy it. I’d just say go in knowing that it won’t all be shown. Which you could argue could be a good thing since a lot of the buildup can still happen as you pictured it.

1

Penguinkeith Mar 25, 2026 +3

They also completely ignored the higher gravity on Rocky’s world at the end

3

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +2

The way they learned to communicate was a big miss imo. They wasted a lot of time in the movie without any substance. Literally one or two missing sentences would fill a lot of gaps.

2

BuffaloWhip Mar 25, 2026 +2

With the exception of “what happened to the crew?” I didn’t need any of those things to be longer or more fleshed out to enjoy the movie. “Yeah, they figured out a way to talk. Seems tedious, thanks for the fast forward.”

2

MrSh0w Mar 25, 2026 +2

I didn’t enjoy the movie because they left out everything you mentioned, it all felt super rushed, and Gosling just seemed “off”. And the music felt ripped from the current Cirque Du Soleil tour. But art is subjective, so theres that.

2

forensicdude Mar 25, 2026 +1

and the auto-cannibalism.

1

Rolandersec Mar 25, 2026 +1

Yeah but now they can make extra money with an extended version later

1

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Maybe, but to do it properly they’re going to need closer to a 4 hour cut. I doubt the uncut version adds that much more to it. The runtime is already 2 hours 36 minutes. I bet there is a cut that’s closer to 3 hours, but I don’t think they’ll get anywhere close to including everything that’s in a 16 hour audiobook.

1

ZV2Cox Mar 25, 2026 +59

As a fan of the book, I thought it was a bit too quipy in the beginning, but it grew on me

59

Harvey_Rabbit Mar 25, 2026 +42

It's always hard to watch a movie after having read the book. It's a weird experience to see a speed run half telling of a story you really enjoyed. I tried not to judge the movie too harshly on the first viewing, but I have to say I thought it was very quippy and they cut out a lot of the explanations for why anything was happening. I could have used more science talk and less time on the holodeck.

42

wave_weaver Mar 25, 2026 +5

I'm reeeeally hoping they'll come out with an extended cut to help with pacing and explanations...maybe a little more science too

5

argparg Mar 25, 2026 +2

Was the holodeck in the book? I don’t remember that part, but thought they got everything else

2

Illustrious-Watch-74 Mar 25, 2026 +6

It wasn’t - but i actually think it fits in overall. They were *very* worried about the astronauts’ mental health, enough to warrant the comas…i liked the addition for the movie

6

rsharp7000 Mar 25, 2026 +1

It fits and also kind of doesn’t. The comas would have negated the need for entertainment. I suppose you could argue they didn’t know how long they’d have to be at Tau Ceti trying to solve the problem and could use some entertainment. Obviously this is a sci-fi movie but I doubt they’d argue adding all the equipment necessary for the holodeck when the idea was that they’d be in a coma the whole way there, try to solve the problem, then commit suicide when they were done. Anyway, it’s a movie and the holodeck was pretty so it makes sense.

1

Trill_McNeal Mar 25, 2026 +1

No, I re read the book prior to seeing the movie and there is nothing like that mentioned in the book. I thought it worked though, so much of the book is Grace’s internal monologue, initially i thought it would be like the Martian with a lot of video diaries and things like that, but they took it in a different direction which I appreciated even if i didn’t love all of the moves.

1

ToastedEzra Mar 25, 2026 +2

I wonder if we’ll ever get to a point in society where book readers understand that adaptations will NEVER be a full 1:1. I’m going to guess it took you longer than 2.5 hours to read the book so to be judgmental of the pacing of the plot, details that are left out, is incredibly disingenuous. But book readers have a “holier than thou” mindset when it comes to adaptations so I guess it isn’t surprising

2

Harvey_Rabbit Mar 25, 2026 +1

Probably not. I suppose I should have learned by now that reading (or listening to) a book does just leave a fuller picture in my mind than watching a movie. But if this is the case, why is it so hard to set aside time to read, and why haven't I read so many of the classically great books? I only listened to this one because I had a series of road trips last summer when I heard about this movie being made. Have you ever read a book and then saw the movie?

1

Tibbaryllis2 Mar 25, 2026 +2

It felt like they approached it differently when compared to The Martian adaptation, and I think it’s lesser for it. But still a great movie overall.

2

shannanigannss Mar 25, 2026 +1

My husband wished for more science as well. It was his favorite part of the book

1

Gloomy-Actuator836 Mar 26, 2026 +1

Yeah I read the book because I was excited for the movie and I wish I would have done it the other way around. Lesson learned 😊

1

Andovars_Ghost Mar 25, 2026 +22

I thought it also downplayed the intelligence and ingenuity of Grace and Rocky. Also making Grace more comic relief on Earth rather than one of the main drivers of the Project (so much so that he was considered to be ‘second-in-command’). Edit: I still loved the movie though. Rocky/Grace 2028!

22

cc81 Mar 25, 2026 +6

Yes, and rushed ending I think.

6

burnerdadsrule Mar 25, 2026 +3

The movie did a better job of having the characters acting quickly under a deadline. In the film it seems like the mission is put together in a month, while the book feels like years pass, and certainly takes its time explaining the logistics of every little thing that made it possible. I liked both, but for a movie we don't need to take diversions on the logistics of astrofage farming in the Sahara desert. I also like that they skipped the gene for sleep part. It makes perfect sense in the book but a movie doesn't need the hat on a hat. For as long as it is, it could have been 2 hrs longer. Grace speed runs every possible astrofage test in a matter of 10 minutes of screen time and that could have been its own movie.

3

Illustrious-Watch-74 Mar 25, 2026 +3

Movie Grace is much dumber than book Grace - but i actually thought it fit better. I felt book Grace was too immediately competent at all things science - especially for someone who basically didn’t his PHD after getting it, and had been a middle school teacher for a decade

3

Mr_Wobble_PNW Mar 25, 2026 +1

I haven't read the book, but they made Grace seem like an idiot considering his credentials. McConaughey seemed way more competent in Interstellar even though he was a farmer and retired pilot.

1

MAELATEACH86 Mar 25, 2026 +2

I mean one had clearly gone through astronaut training and the other hadn’t and woke up in a spaceship with amnesia with his coworkers dead. It took him a bit to get his bearings.

2

Mr_Wobble_PNW Mar 26, 2026 +1

But he was still an idiot in the flashbacks too.

1

MAELATEACH86 Mar 26, 2026 +1

I didn’t see him like that at all. When was he an idiot?

1

Shafter111 Mar 25, 2026 +7

Yes. The movie did a really good job of capturing the true essence of the book. But they really rushed through the problem at hand and how they went about solving it. Imo, they wouldn't have required too much screen time to explain...but decided to skim through it, at times, in blazing speed. I highly doubt anyone understood the problem at hand, unless they read the book. Maybe they are priming it for streaming rewatches with subtitles? Just my opinion.

7

squeakybeak Mar 25, 2026 +6

Too much buddy romcom, not enough sciencing the shit out of stuff. There was no sense of peril.

6

Shafter111 Mar 26, 2026 +2

I doubt anyone understood the true peril

2

FlimsyConclusion Mar 25, 2026 +5

I feel after the mission was effectively completed, it took too long to end the movie. There's also a few nit-picky moments I found too cutesy and could've been trimmed in the edit to zero narrative difference. Personal preference really, but overall had a great time with it. 9/10

5

OrneryEgg3588 Mar 26, 2026 +1

I agree about it having cutesy moments. Sometimes it seemed like it was edging onto Ewok or Spielberg territory

1

spdrman8 Mar 25, 2026 +5

I never thought I'd cry over >!A DAMN ROCK!<

5

Chaoticallyorganized Mar 26, 2026 +3

There were a few times I found myself tearing up while listening to the audio book. Their friendship is a breath of fresh air in this dark and dreary world.

3

toddywithabody Mar 25, 2026 +27

It was a tiny bit too long but otherwise the entire movie was great. Fist my bump is an all timer.

27

Agitated_Skin1181 Mar 25, 2026 +10

Curious if you read the book or not. I typically do not like long movies, but could have easily watched about 30 or so minutes of that to see more things from the book

10

NoEmu5969 Mar 25, 2026 +3

I felt like it was a really long Futurama episode. It didn’t have filler or lost plots like Mickey 17 but it wasn’t a novel SciFi concept.

3

anaboogiewoogie Mar 25, 2026 +4

I didn’t feel like it was too long. I also didn’t really feel like there was any filler at all. Everything tied back nicely and played an important role.

4

frolie0 Mar 25, 2026 +12

I definitely think the final act was the weakness, only because the book was so damn good. I get it would have been rough to have a 3+ hour movie, but they absolutely rushed through the weight of the final act. Hopefully we'll get a director's cut.

12

NavierIsStoked Mar 25, 2026 +7

Yeah, this movie screams for an extended director's cut.

7

unbelievablydull82 Mar 25, 2026 +7

The whole thing is near perfect. Best film I've watched for a long long time

7

Arcinbiblo12 Mar 25, 2026 +6

The whole thing is damn near perfect. I honestly would have loved like 15-20 more minutes so they could flesh out the scientific testing sections more throughout the film.

6

lanieangel Mar 25, 2026 +3

The whole movie is perfect imo

3

Manticore416 Mar 25, 2026 +3

Second half was better mostly imo. First half was a bit too joky.

3

SkyletteRose Mar 25, 2026 +3

Everyone, please, PLEASE listen to the audiobook. It really is a must if you like the movie at all. Yes, it is thick of scientific goodness but I really can not express how much better the movie is once you have listened to the audiobook.

3

a_velis Mar 25, 2026 +6

I use LetterBoxd for reviews. And it's overwhelmingly positive. [https://letterboxd.com/film/project-hail-mary/](https://letterboxd.com/film/project-hail-mary/)

6

Icy-Wrongdoer-8896 Mar 25, 2026 +2

Have not read the book, but I loved the entire movie up to the last 5-10 mins which I felt was overly corny and goofy.

2

Vox-Machi-Buddies Mar 26, 2026 +2

It was handled a bit better in the book. It's still corny as hell. But the book touches on something the movie mostly (entirely?) ignores (movie and book spoiler: >!that the *Hail Mary* doesn't have enough food for Grace to both rescue Rocky and get back to Earth!<). That gets used to provide a more logical build up to the final scenes. The book also leaves a little more about the ending to the imagination, which lets the reader come up with their own idea of what the situation is, which decisions the characters make, and why.

2

Crackslap Mar 25, 2026 +2

Amazing movie. Gosling is the man

2

PotterOneHalf Mar 25, 2026 +2

Dude thinks Gossling’s character was an astrophysicist. He was a molecular biologist and they made that super clear.

2

509BandwidthLimit Mar 25, 2026 +2

Kept waiting for the Blow up Antarctica part....

2

mbrogan4 Mar 25, 2026 +2

Ok but the second half has two outbreaks of the Astrophage killer which was a bit repetitive. They cut that for time which honestly is a lot better.

2

BigMack6911 Mar 25, 2026 +2

The whole thing is perfect. At the end I wanted to adopt Rocky..or have him adopt me, I don't know which is which

2

hueleeAZ Mar 26, 2026 +2

Saw this last night and this couple behind me would not shut up they ruined it…. I knew that if they were talking during a movie, they could not listen to a reason if I asked him to be quiet. This generation sucks.

2

iAmDrakesEyebrows Mar 26, 2026 +2

How do you know when the first half ends and the 2rd one begins,

2

DigLeading9650 Mar 25, 2026 +6

Okay well that site is cancer and the article reads like it was written by a 15 year old but thanks anyway

6

Inevitable_Ad_4487 Mar 25, 2026 +3

The whole movie slapped… wtf is the deal w this headline

3

omnipotentqueue Mar 25, 2026 +4

No it’s not - it’s a great film but far from perfect. For those that followed the books, it’s a little different - but still ends the same way. This is a great family film - but doesn’t offer the same adult themes or larger bulk of science in the books.

4

BravoLimaDelta Mar 25, 2026 +3

I thought the science-y stuff was maybe dumbed down for the film. Assuming it was more fleshed out in the books? Like in the beginning when Grace confirms it's a cell by poking it with a needle and a bunch of world leaders are amazed. Like really? None of the other scientists figured that out before they turned to the washed up science teacher? Nobody else could figure out the affinity toward the atmospheric signature of Venus, the one planet it is currently bouncing around?

3

Due_Passenger_823 Mar 25, 2026 +3

I was actually annoyed by the first half before the alien showed up. People were giggling at gosling’s most inane behavior. This is what constitutes a good time at the movies? I was ready to declare it a 2 star movie, but the 2nd half saved the day, regardless of its corniness. 3.5 overall

3

RandomHero25 Mar 25, 2026 +2

As someone who didn’t read the book ( I went with my girlfriend who did) it was an extremely enjoyable flick. However, there were some plot points I was a bit confused about that I’m sure were fleshed out more in the book. The last 20 minutes or so seemed kind of sped through to me just as an outside observer. But overall, I liked it. 8.5/10 for me

2

mtodd93 Mar 25, 2026 +1

As someone who loves the book, they definitely glossed over and sped through a lot of things in the end section. He even says something like “look rock I bread them with the chambers we built” and it’s like when did that happen? We didn’t see it and you never mentioned it until now. In the book it’s a huge thing and the breeding is a huge part of it because it’s what causes the taomeba to be able to get into the fuel. I really enjoyed the movie but I did think people would be confused by some things as it’s very quickly passed over.

1

Deepforbiddenlake Mar 25, 2026

Incredibly corny and painfully unfunny. 0.5/5

0

KubrickRupert Mar 25, 2026 +1

the second half is even better

1

Blackstar1886 Mar 25, 2026 +1

I think throwing away almost all of the science to make it a buddy movie in space was a mistake. It felt like too much of an on-the-nose homage to 2010's sci-fi movies like Interstellar and Arrival. Several shots pulled directly from the former.

1

gauriemma Mar 25, 2026 +1

The first time I set out to read the book PHM, I loved it up until the point where Grace met Rocky. That just seemed silly and it kind of pulled me out of the moment. Sounds like this reviewer is feeling the same way about the movie. I gave the book a second chance though and it holds up. Still not as consistently solid as The Martian, however.

1

Dorkseid1687 Mar 25, 2026 +1

I liked it a lot. But it’s too long by about 20 minutes, and you can cut plenty from early on and the second half of the movie.

1

bookofnature Mar 25, 2026 +1

People who read Project Hail Mary should also read Children of Time.

1

Distinct-Hat-5656 Mar 25, 2026 +1

What about the last half stupid headline? Oh wait, you got me

1

Paratwa Mar 25, 2026 +1

I just hope I don’t hate it cause it’s been one of my fav books since it came out. I don’t know how they could realistically compress that story into only 3 hours without losing some magic. Dunno I’m a big book reader and a seldom movie watcher though.

1

Ih8rice Mar 25, 2026 +1

First 30 minutes or so was a bit slow before things started to pick up a bit. This is why I give the second half of the movie a slight edge over the first .

1

Powerful_Leg8519 Mar 25, 2026 +1

I haven’t seen it but really, is the writer a preteen? Was this written by an adult who went to college? It doesn’t read that way. The comparison is that it’s better than Solo but not as good as Apollo 13? I know people have a boner for Solo that I simply do not understand but this is one of the more teen coded reviews I’ve read in a while.

1

james-HIMself Mar 25, 2026 +1

I wish I knew it was a book going in because I went in blind and was kind of let down. It opens up like we’re seeing Dr Evil’s ship in space and it’s ominous. Then suddenly it’s a rock. I’m not hating it for that because it’s not a bad movie but I was left feeling pretty empty at the end. The cinematography and Ryan gosling do most of the heavy lifting. Wish it wasn’t a rock and something that makes logical sense for another alien species you’d find in space. I seriously doubt a rock could build that ship or figure out anything scientific but it is a fictional story so that checks out

1

Ironstark12 Mar 25, 2026 +1

Just watched it. It was good overall but is too long. The first half is great but it starts to drag later in the movie. They could have cut 15 min from it and it would have done wonders to the overall project.

1

SnooWoofers966 Mar 26, 2026 +1

Great great film. I say bring back intermissions for long movies like this. It would be rad.

1

jigaireos Mar 26, 2026 +1

There are moments in movies toward the middle that give you cue. For this one it is on the boat and including the karaoke but get back before that ends.

1

abqcheeks Mar 26, 2026 +1

There used to be an app that would tell you the best times to take a restroom break for any movies. Don’t know if it’s still around

1

wiggleystar Mar 26, 2026 +1

I read the book, loved it. Watched the movie, loved it too!

1

Constant_Flamingo828 Mar 26, 2026 +1

The whole movie is awesome.

1

Vegetable_Clue5008 Mar 26, 2026 +1

All of it is damn near perfect

1

Careful_Condition440 Mar 26, 2026 +1

The second half ain't no slouch either

1

The first half of Ryan Gosling’s “Project Hail Mary” is damn near perfect

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