Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
36: Project Hail Mary Part One
45 Plays4 days ago
In this episode of BookWatch, your crew mates step aboard the Hail Mary as we take a journey through Earth and space in Andy Weir’s 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary and its 2026 adaptation. With special guest J Scotty St. Clair, this episode covers the cast and sets of the book and film. From toot scooting Astrophage to a Ryan Gosling performance that can only be described as “amaze amaze amaze” join us as we begin our discussion of our favorite adaptation so far this year.
Tell us your thoughts! Did you love or hate this adaptation? Let’s discuss in The Book Watch Lounge on Facebook
Follow & Support:
📲 Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/bookwatchlounge
📺 Watch behind-the-scenes: Get more from BookWatch Podcast on Patreon
🤳🏼Follow Book Watch on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bookwatchpodcast
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Project Hail Mary and Film Adaptation
00:00:01
Speaker
Today on Book Watch, we're watching Project Hail Mary by Andrew Weir. The book published published in 2021 and its recent 2026 adaptation of the same name, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
00:00:16
Speaker
The film is adapted by duke Drew Goddard and the audiobook was narrated by Ray Porter. I'm Chris. I'm Sarah Day. And I'm Jordan.
00:00:26
Speaker
And our returning special guest is Scottie St. Clair. Good to see you. Thank you so much for having me back once again. um must have done something right the last time. And we will dig into our characters and set locations after these messages.
Hosts Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:51
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you're a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:01:17
Speaker
All right. So introducing to the film here, um you guys, any of you have any history you want to discuss about this? When you read this? ah I just picked it up more recently. I'd read The Martian before, um but I was hooked as soon as I picked it up. I started reading it and I would need to read something else for the podcast here. But I was like, I got to finish this book. I got to get through this.
Ryan Gosling's Influence on the Film's Appeal
00:01:39
Speaker
It's it's just too good. Any of you guys got any interesting stories?
00:01:43
Speaker
I was definitely intrigued by it when I first heard about it. I mean, obviously Ryan Gosling already right there. I want to watch it But seeing that he wrote The Martian, I haven't read the book, but I have seen the movie and I heard that the science was really accurate, which is really fascinating to have a science accurate film in Hollywood. So already I was really interested in this. i went into it blind. I had no idea except for what I had seen from the previews and was completely blown away by the audiobook.
00:02:12
Speaker
Ray Porter did a fantastic job and the story itself. So heartwarming. And then, of course, the movie. I mean, Ryan Gosling and Rocky's voice actor just melt your heart.
00:02:24
Speaker
Yeah, this movie had a lot going for it in terms of everything you're talking about there, Sarah Day, with just Ryan Gosling being attached. That's enough to get me interested right out of the gate. He's one of my favorite actors working, always has been. Can't think of a single performance he's turned in that I haven't enjoyed on some level. So you've got that, you've got the Phil Lord and Chris Miller aspect of it as well. This movie just had a lot going for it. So I actually had kind of a unique experience.
00:02:50
Speaker
Another podcast that I appear on Multiverse News, plug, plug, plug, I'll try not to do that too much. so We were obviously talking about the marketing, the trailers, and I remember we did an episode kind of doing a preview for 2026 where we all got to talk about the films that we were the most excited for. And I was kind of taken even though I had enjoyed the trailers and was looking forward to this movie. All three of my co-hosts had it on their list. So I was like, okay, what what did I miss? So I had
Exploration of Story Themes
00:03:15
Speaker
to go back and and watch the trailer again. And as they just continued to talk, a couple of my co-hosts, Jay and Haley, they had read the book or listened to the audio book and were just very effusive.
00:03:24
Speaker
with their praise for it. So i was like, okay, I'm kind of itching to read something. Let me go get this book. And I picked it up and checked it out. And I did that before. I'd never read. That was the first thing I'd read by Andy andy Weir. I'd seen The Martian, but never read The Martian. So I read Project Hail Mary first, and I enjoyed it so much that I went and picked up The Martian. And I'll save some of those thoughts. But I think What I can say very positively about Project Hail Mary is that Andy Weir just evolved like leaps and bounds as a writer from The Martian to Project Hail Mary.
00:03:57
Speaker
Interesting. I struggled with the audiobook at first. I was like texting these guys and I was like, I don't really like the voice. Like there's so much science. Like I am not into this. But was like, hey, I got to power through like it's literally my job now. And then by the end of it, i was crying like my husband kept turning around and looking at me like, are you okay? Because I'd be like, oh my god, I can't believe Rocky just said that. Like, I and it has now taken over my whole algorithm on Instagram like I am obsessed and I love this book and this story and this film especially I think we'll obviously get into it but I think it was a great adaptation and it made it really approachable if you hadn't read the book it was still easy enough to follow. I love it now. And I'll probably will also go back and read The Martian and Artemis, the other book by Andy Weir at Chris's recommendation. So okay guess Andy Weir has gained a fan over here.
00:04:55
Speaker
I'm sure that's quite a few of them around. ah The Martian, I watched the film and then I read the book and very it's a very good adaptation as well. A pretty strong, pretty closely adapted book. And I think it was even adapted before it was really a big thing. He put it out as like a self-published book at the time and then they picked it up the movie and that's when he actually did all the publishing of it, if I remember right. But it's it's definitely been an interesting journey for them.
00:05:21
Speaker
Anyways, so cultural impact wise, this book as you this book and film, as Sarah day mentioned, really did kind of bring some of the hard science ah back into the mainstream. And it kind of gave us some of that fantasy with the alien, and it but with a very grounded approach to it, which I really enjoyed.
00:05:43
Speaker
um I think that the ah ah non-hostile first contact stories were one of the best things in the early 80s films and stuff like that with E.T. and stuff like that. And then we got away from the friendliness of aliens. I'm kind of glad to see we've got this awesome alien character back. i think we've seen it seen it in animation a few times, but I'm excited to see what people how people portray that going forward. Any ideas? Any thoughts on that, guys? Yeah.
00:06:10
Speaker
I don't want to get too into like the plot of it, but it was really interesting. And I don't know that they talked about it in the movie, but in the book, they make it clear that the reason why they met was because their species are similar intelligent levels. So any species that are more intelligent, they've already figured out astrophage. Any species that were less intelligent probably died. So that's why they're meeting in space because their intelligent level is the same. And I think that was really interesting to make it, you know, making it a nice alien interaction because...
00:06:42
Speaker
To Rocky, Grace is a alien, you know, so they're both there for the same reason. They're both lost in space. Their crew has died. so you know, it's the way he made it a positive interaction was really fascinating as opposed to, you know, aliens coming to Earth and attacking.
00:07:04
Speaker
And I mean, this story could have absolutely gone that way if everybody's fighting for the, you know remaining whatever they have to do to stop this or wanting the resources from the different suns. You could have had a, you know, a story of a hostile alien trying to steal everybody else's sun energy that was left or something. So it was a fun, friendly alien story that way, I think. Yeah.
00:07:24
Speaker
I think it goes to like the broader themes that Andy Weir brings to the book of like collectivism and teamwork and like working together to find a solution instead of like finger pointing and blaming each other and like getting into fights about it because we see on earth how the entire world, like every country is sending their best scientists to work together to figure this out. So with that spirit of what project Hail Mary represents just on our planet, it makes a lot of sense that when you're in space and you have the opportunity to work together with somebody else for the same purpose, that Grace and whoever else was on the team, if they had survived, would have also had that kind of frame of mind of like, well, they must be here, like you said, like they must be here for
Comparing Optimism in Project Hail Mary and The Martian
00:08:15
Speaker
the same reason. Let's figure out how to work together and help each other. and I think that spirit of, you know, supporting and that like hope core energy carries throughout the whole book.
00:08:27
Speaker
Yeah, there are definitely a few themes that this story shares with the Martian, not only just like an individual kind of being stranded with insurmountable odds, kind of having to rise to the occasion and and use out all their faculties to to survive. But yeah, that is that's an interesting point about how optimistic the story is. And that really does kind of set it apart from a lot of sci-fi, because it does bring to mind a lot of science fiction stories and depictions of the future. they can tend to be pretty pessimistic. And yeah, I think between the Martian and now this, I did like the point about the astrophage, even though they are like non-sentient, they do kind of satisfy a little bit of that itch where it's like, hey, if we did come into contact with outside life, there would probably be risks and ramifications that we couldn't account for. And I do think the the book is really intentional about that, especially when it comes to the way that Rocky and Grace have to interact, like all of all the things that they have physically keeping them apart.
00:09:23
Speaker
They that they don't let that keep them from forming this bond and coming up with the solution, which is really inspiring. And yeah, I've i've been on other podcasts where I've described not only the book, but the movie kind of like a a best hits when it comes to to sci-fi, because I do think it's taking a lot of influences, not only from some of those darker sci-fi stories like Alien or 2001 A Space Odyssey, but definitely, I mean, the E.T. is right there. The fact that it is a you know friendly puppet character that you just fall in love with. I really like that and and really appreciate that.
00:10:01
Speaker
um And of course, you know, the collaboration on earth is the, you know, fantasy part of the series we get here, you know, that' that's, that's, that's total fiction. So, you know. True that. ah It kind of goes back to the the space race and the fact that a lot of us were, you know a lot of the countries were competing, but also kind of working together, trying to push us all into space together. We were working towards things that as a collaboration to try and further the mankind. But and then that kind of has gone away from that sense. But I do like that strat, though, makes it clear if this doesn't work.
00:10:37
Speaker
they aren't going to share resources. There will be wars. Like she is very realistic in that sense. Mm-hmm. and we kind of went through them already the key themes of you know the sacrificing for humanity ah the team did not think they were coming back but they were all willing to go out there and try to find a solution for um for our world and for other worlds um they uh you know curiosity over fears you know in there of that um grace had to overcome his fear and running away from rocky's ship a little bit and finally Learn to play catch with ah with his puppet friend um and ah collaboration towards that progress you guys were talking about already. And so we we saw that both the Earth collaboration and the collaboration with Rocky's
00:11:24
Speaker
ah type of ah the way he was working and trying to figure out how to work together is all throughout this film. So then we can get into the characters here and kind of talk about, um let's let's talk about, we all, i think, have already talked about how we thought this was a great adaptation. Any specifics you guys want to go into about how um the adaptation went? If anybody...
Film's Faithful Adaptation and Production Quality
00:11:47
Speaker
the thing that I've been singing the the praises of this movie about is how faithful an adaptation it is. It is very, very faithful. Like i've I've joined you all to talk about the Hunger Games books and movies, and that's another instance where it's very, very faithful. But I think I would argue that this one takes it to the the next degree. There's like major...
00:12:07
Speaker
major plot point change but other than that I think all the changes that they make benefit this adaptation and the visual format and just seeing it on the biggest screen possible so it is a ah little bit of an instance where like we know that Ryan Gosling had his his hands on this thing before it was even released to the public and it was kind of It was a well-oiled machine in terms of like, hey, we know we've got a good story here. Let's do everything we can to get it ah made at the highest level. So ah for those reasons, I think, yeah, they were they were absolutely set up for a big win.
00:12:44
Speaker
Ryan Gosling is perfect and and everybody working you know in front of and behind the camera. or They're bringing their A-game. So i if you can't tell, I really liked it. Yeah. think we all really liked it. I mean, i was lucky enough to see it on an IMAX screen and it was just so visually stunning. Like some of the still shots are going to stick with me for a while. um Like this puppetry and CGI of Rocky being brought to life. Like, yeah.
00:13:15
Speaker
He's a rock, but he's so cute. like I just love him so much. And yeah, like you said, Jay Scott, it it is really faithful. um There's some things that got taken out or you know wiggled around a little bit, which we'll talk about, but it was really faithfully adopted. And so I think it's it's really satisfying for people who read the book and have loved the book for the last few years that it's been out.
00:13:40
Speaker
It's really satisfying for for them. And if you're new to it, you can still have fun and so it was great I think Rocky I don't want to get into our like bookmark moments too soon but like Rocky was great he was exactly how I pictured him in the book like they do describe him spider-like and i didn't see an actual spider I did see a rock with multiple legs like he was perfectly brought to life on screen Yeah, that was pretty great. um Although my one regret is that I didn't get to see it on a bigger screen. i was went to a more local theater here and it was a smaller screen. i kind of wish I'd gotten into an IMAX, but um it was still stunning on even the any theater screen I feel like is worth it for this one. But.
00:14:23
Speaker
You know, my husband doesn't like to go to the movies right now because we have two kids. So if we go to the movies together, we have get a babysitter, you know, all of that jazz. So it makes it like three times as expensive to go to the movies. So he still hasn't seen it. He's read the book because I made him because I knew he would like it. And I'm like, I really I wish we could figure out a way to get you to the big screen because this is definitely a movie. Like if you're listening to this and it's still in theaters, please go see it in theaters. You have to see it on a big screen yeah because it is stunning.
00:14:51
Speaker
Yes, 100% agree. Agree, agree, agree. listen Let's go through these characters and how we ah thought the adaptation was of their performance and appearance and whatnot. We got obviously Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace.
00:15:10
Speaker
And it sounds like Scott is a big fan of that. Oh, it's meant to be. They got the same initials, RG. Right? Yeah. He was probably ready for him. I didn't notice that. Wow. yeah has ryan gosling had other performances or other characters that maybe resonate with me on a personal level a little bit more i would argue maybe so but i will say like this feels like a culmination of his career and everything he's been doing from the comedy chops to the more dramatic flair to just being so lovable and charming like he can do no wrong like he really is like a golden retriever just you know
00:15:47
Speaker
in human form. And, uh, yeah. So I think that was the big difference between Mark Watney and Rylan Grace, Mark Watney from the, the Martian and Rylan Grace. Like Mark Watney was a scientist, scientist and, uh, was,
00:16:05
Speaker
even though it was ah a very positive story and he was very resilient, he had a tendency to be in a very negative head space, wasn't afraid to cuss a lot. And Rylan Grace is a middle school teacher. So just yeah again, Ryan Gosling was perfect to bring that energy to put a smile on your face, but also bring a tear to your eye and and make you chuckle throughout. Even if it's just a physical humor, like in the first five minutes, you see him waking up and and screaming and flopping around and like my theater was in stitches. So he's yeah perfect, pitch perfect.
00:16:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think he really nailed like the vastness of the human experience, like the grief of his teammates dying in their comas on the way there. He really I was crying with him as he was sending them off and just, you know, giving them their their space bon voyage, their final exit. And then when he's quipping and like saying fudge because he works with kids. Like I work with kids, I say fudge. Like, I'm like, ah he gets it. Like he's a teacher, he gets it. Like he just, when he was crying, he sold it and I was crying with him. And then when he was funny, I was dying laughing. He was hilarious. And I just think like, if Ryan Gosling ever gonna win an award for acting, this is gonna be it
00:17:22
Speaker
Hopefully there's more down the line, but based on everything we've seen, like this is it for him. This is his like swan song. um And he was just fabulous from, from beginning to end.
00:17:36
Speaker
I've been a Ryan Gosling fan ever since The Notebook, of course. And then i when Barbie came out, fell in love with him all over again. He was perfect as Ken. And it's funny because when he was cast as Ken, I questioned it, but he was perfect. And then...
00:17:54
Speaker
I knew about him and this film before I read the book. And as I was reading the book, I was like, hmm, he doesn't like I don't see Ryan Gosling being this character, but seeing him in the movie, perfect. He just was perfect. He was so charming, so endearing, really sold the relationship with Rocky. And I honestly couldn't imagine anyone else in the role.
00:18:17
Speaker
Well, that's because he had practice you know with Emma Stone first. ha ha Next, he's got to be on screen with ah with The Rock next, I think, right?
00:18:28
Speaker
Yeah, for the trifecta thing. I saw some memes about that. It was pretty funny. All right, so then Rocky was portrayed by James Ortiz. He was also the primary, the the head puppeteer. I think there was like a team of like 10 people that were puppeting him, but ah James was there, the head of it. And they chose his voice because he was just ah matched the energy just right. And like the team found him to be so charming. They throw him into that role. And I think it was personally, I think it was a great choice.
Highlighting Puppetry and Voice Work
00:18:56
Speaker
I think the voice is definitely a good call. Although as they said in the film, you know, Meryl Streep can't do anything wrong, but you know, that was fun. The least drag.
00:19:07
Speaker
yeah That was a really fun part and I don't know if we'll get it to it in the next episode or not, but I do really like how they handled the communication between Rocky and Grace in the movie and how you know how they brought that from page to screen because that was it was fun, it was comedic, the Easter egg with Meryl Streep and um making ah like I was wondering how they were going to portray that and I think they did a really great job. Yeah.
00:19:34
Speaker
Yeah, and I want to shout out to James Ortiz. I think puppetry is like a dying art in Hollywood. Like so much of it just is CGI. And so for them to make the choice to use puppetry and then to give one of the puppeteers the opportunity to get that like recognition of being the voice of Rocky too, I think is really special. And like we've all, we all agree, like he absolutely nailed it.
00:19:57
Speaker
Like Rocky's voice is to me like very iconic now. Like I, I'm going to be saying amazes amaze, amaze, amaze, like for the rest of my life. and I'm going to hear James Ortiz's voice in my head every time I think of this film and of Rocky. So really, really excellent job um for portraying this character it physically and vocally.
00:20:20
Speaker
Yeah, and it's stories like that. The fact that they had a physical puppet on set and and had a puppeteer available to do the improvisation with Ryan Gosling, because again, just to hop back to him for a second, the fact that like he does so much heavy lifting in this movie. like i can't I can think of few movies that were...
00:20:37
Speaker
a character appears in every single scene or there's you know there's not ah a second of screen time that he's not on and that's just such a big ask and so much of that is just Ryan Gosling like on any other set he'd just be talking to a camera or a tennis ball but they had someone on set and the fact that they took an unknown like yeah I'm sure James Ortiz is very well known within his circles and as a an expert in his field but as far as being a household name no but now that he gets that opportunity Those are the stories that just gave me the sense that the spirit of collaboration that is so throughout this story, like it it feels like that translated to the set of this movie, which I just love to see and agree with everything that's been said about about the character of Rocky and his portrayal. But ah to hone in on James Ortiz voice for just a second, this is kind of a thought that I have not had previously, maybe just somewhere in the very back of my mind. But again, with the comparison to E.T.,
00:21:31
Speaker
I think he may have been going for like a little bit of homage to because it has like that quality where it's a little otherworldly and cracks a little bit like I am Rocky. Like Elliot. I don't know. Maybe let's just make it to that. I hear it. Now that you mentioned it, I'll have to watch it again and be like, oh, yeah.
00:21:47
Speaker
oh Oh, no, I have to go back and see it again in the theater. yeah exactly so Terrible. Yeah.
00:21:55
Speaker
All right. and Next up is Eva Strott. She's the woman in charge of everything, you know, across all the Project Hail Mary stuff across the world, played by as Sandra Huller.
00:22:09
Speaker
I thought she really portrayed the same, the character from the book, like spot on. i was like oh, wow, this woman definitely is in charge. All right. This is another example of just excellent, excellent casting. I was familiar with Sandra Huller before this movie because she's popped up in a a few like Oscar contenders. Like Anatomy of a Fall was the first thing I saw her in where she did a really good job of portraying like a person that you don't know how to feel about. um Like on one in one instance, you may be on her side. In other instances, you may be very suspicious of her and her intentions and what she's capable of. And I think that is basically who Eva Strat is. So in addition to that, she was in a movie called The Zone of Interest where she portrayed a Nazi. Obviously not a good character, a very evil character. But again, the way that film played out, you got to see...
00:22:59
Speaker
Not to justify it or any of her actions, but it shows a little bit more nuance to how a person could get to that point or think that those kind of things are acceptable. So, yeah, I'm really excited to see her make the transition to a big film like this where she will probably become more of a household name to casual audiences. But, yeah, she's she's great. And the fact that she did have so much chemistry with Ryan Gosling, I feel like, you know, in in the book, there were a couple of things that pointed to maybe some chemistry in their relationship, but just that one sequence where they're on the, their top side on the aircraft carrier, just having that moment, just the ah chemistry between them is
Character Depth in Eva Strat's Portrayal
00:23:35
Speaker
electric. And I think both of them were bringing so much to the table in that in that moment.
00:23:40
Speaker
They changed her character a little bit, in my opinion, between the book and the movie. I think in the movie, they gave her a lot more humanity. They have that scene on the top of the carrier with Dr. Grace and they get to have that like very human moment. And then she goes in and she does the karaoke song to the Harry Styles, which like didn't happen in the book at all. um And I think that humanized her a little bit more. And so then when you know, she has the turnaround leader of like, you're going on this mission, buddy, whether you like it or not, it, you know, you understand, like you said, it gives that nuance and you understand where she's coming from a little bit more versus in the book. Like it can be seen because you don't have those human interactions. It can be, it, you know, it can read very, very harsh and like, oh my gosh, she's crazy. Like she's, you know, I didn't feel that way. i was like, we got to save the world. So you don't have time. we don't have time for you to be a coward.
00:24:36
Speaker
Sorry, bud. Like we have to save the world. And it, you know, they, one of the things they took out, sorry to get ahead a little bit is the coma gene. They didn't really explain that in the movie, but in the book, there's a gene where you're more likely to survive a long-term coma. And Rylan Grace has that gene. So it's not just that he's been in part of this project from the beginning, he literally is one of, I think they said like one one in 7,000 people who has this gene. Like it literally can only be him going on this mission. And he, you know,
00:25:10
Speaker
he admits to himself in the book, I'm a coward. I don't want to do this. And she's like, too bad. We are trying to save humanity. You have got to go. And I really like admire that quality in the character that she is very mission oriented and doesn't care about what people think of her and how she, you know, comes across if she's too harsh whatever, she does not care. She's on a mission. And I think that Sandra Hewler did a great job of portraying that side of her and then adding that humanity in the film. she did a great job of bringing that human part to life as well.
00:25:45
Speaker
I agree with everything that you guys have said that she really added a lot of nuance and humanity to the character because I definitely thought the character in the book was a lot more just um like to the point, not aggressive, but Unemotional.
00:26:02
Speaker
Yes. Militant, unemotional. um The court scene in particular is something that wasn't in the film where you get to see like, she's like, this is a waste of time. I don't need to be here. You know, blah, blah, blah. um But I feel like in the film, especially when They're in her office and she's like he says i'm not going and she's like yeah you are um They made it a little bit more comedic in the film with him like running away, but you could see that emotion I felt in her performance like I don't want to do this to you. I do like you but Like you said, we're saving the world. So you've got to go So I really appreciated her performance
00:26:43
Speaker
Definitely. Next three aren't really that big of characters in the movie here as far as we don't see a lot from them. But we got Commander Yao Li Jai, paid by Ken Long. um We got...
00:27:01
Speaker
oh Aliyah, I'm going to try the engineer. that yo cal cuia you yeah yeah you can yeah She's played by... ah Milena Vine-Trope, which I do know her from, like she was think the AT&T girl and a couple other, you know, she was actually supposed to be Squirrel Girl at one point, a couple other, I think she is the voice in Marvel Rivals. So I do know her from a few things. And I feel like I barely even saw her in the film, just kind of a glance here and there. like That's a big role for her, ah a big name for a small world. And then we had Dr. DeBose, played by
00:27:44
Speaker
Malachi Kirby the lead scientist before the accident happens I do want to note real quick that they just released that like the original um cut was like four hours so they might have had more for of these characters in the original film that was cut out I'm begging you release for our records could please absolutely please please i would totally sit through that on an IMAX screen please Yeah, there wasn't a lot um of screen time for these characters, the three of them, the original members of Project Hail Mary. and You alluded to the accident where Dr. Dubois is killed. And that's what opens up the spot for Dr. Grace to go um but i yeah if they i mean they hit their characters pretty spot on i think um il yukna is a russian who's a big fan of vodka and that comes into play uh in the movie and um yao uh he's you know he's the leader he's the commander and he like the ken uh leung gives that presence of like, yeah, that's a man who's in charge. He knows what he's doing. He's very sure of himself. So I think all of them, all of them are good.
00:28:59
Speaker
Yeah, you definitely get a lot more time to get to know them a little bit better in the book. But thinking back on the purpose that they serve in the book is, yeah, while you do get more interactions with them by just by way of flashback and getting to dwell on those interactions, really, it is all to service their impact on on grace. So yeah for that reason, I think they serve their purpose in the movie.
00:29:21
Speaker
pretty well um it's it's not really about them so much as it is the circumstances that they're put into and how that puts grace into the situation that he is and what little vestiges they they left behind that he can utilize so yeah in the case of Ilyukna, Itzer Vodka, and just kind of that, like, you know, if we're going to be out here, at least we can do something to take the edge off and have a little bit of fun and and keep it light and bright. But Yao in particular, I think he, even though there was more in the book, I think he is kind of the one that, like,
00:29:56
Speaker
he works a little bit better for me in in the movie and i think that may be by way of the they age the character up a little bit and you already referenced the the lack of the gene uh in the movie adaptation but i felt like he i really appreciated the sequence where he got to tell grace like hey it's not about a gene it's about having someone to be brave for and i just thought that was one of the best through lines um throughout the movie that may in my opinion work better in the movie than it does in the book because the book just has so much going on so yeah they they serve their purpose uh Dubois nice to see him but ah his like his partner that uh you just see in the karaoke sequence like uh Grace gives him that like knowing glance like oh I see what you two are up to she doesn't even get a line of dialogue in this movie where she's like at least has a a couple of lines in the in the book. So yeah, they they serve their role. So I can't have too many ah too many qualms there. But yeah, if we if we do ever get that four-hour cut and get to spend more time with them, ah I'm totally open to it.
00:30:55
Speaker
Yep, I'm in. um Next up is Carl. ah He was kind of a a standout, I feel like. ah He played by Lionel Boyce, and he's kind of ah Grace's buddy on Earth when they started going through and testing out the first few things, the CIA officer that ends up helping him out with those first few ah experiments. I really liked the way he played that role.
00:31:21
Speaker
Yeah, me and my husband are so excited. We're like, it's Marcus from the Bear. like We were so pumped to see him when he first came on screen. um and I think it's a new character from the book. or I think so, too. If the character is in the book, it's not nearly as prominent. But I love the dynamic between him and between Lionel and um Ryan Gosling. They just had such fun like bro energy and like they're eating the candy together and they're going to Home Depot and like put it on the government's tab. Like it's just they were a lot of fun and like this is a literal life and death mission to save the whole planet and all you know billions of people that live here and having somebody to joke around with and bring some levity um, I think was really valuable to the film. And I love to see, um Lionel Boyce getting, getting a big, big screen role. Um, and he deserves more of them in the future for sure.
00:32:20
Speaker
Yeah, i agree. And I think you, you really encapsulated the, the benefits to his characters from the comedic relief to, just, um, the the levity and the the way the pacing of the movie picks up at that point in time. And I can't help but think about when Grace kind of radios into him from the lab, like, do we have an expense account?
00:32:39
Speaker
No. No. But I do. And that just, you can't kind of see the light bulb go off and just the energy picks up from there. So what I kind of realized after the fact is, and he's one of my favorite characters in additions to the the movie from the book, because yeah, I read the book back in mid to late January. I don't remember a Carl, but maybe he had a page or two dedicated to him. But what he he really accomplishes for this movie, um he kind of sets up, he's kind of the proto-Rocky. He kind of shows you that, hey, Grace, wherever he goes, he has this ability to befriend and engender people and work together with people, even if they seem a little standoffish at first. So I really liked his inclusion. And when you do get the betrayal, it it hurts that much more that he's like, you know, Carl.
00:33:25
Speaker
Carl, don't let him do this to me, Carl. is Not even Carl can help you.
00:33:32
Speaker
Definitely. Maybe that comes from being a middle school teacher. You just make friends everywhere because you can deal with middle schoolers.
00:33:39
Speaker
That's right. It is a superpower. Anything had say today? Did you already talk about Hamlet? I mean, a really good call about him being able to make friends
AI Voice and Ship Interactions
00:33:49
Speaker
with anybody. I like that nugget. and That's not something I thought about. um You guys said everything else about that character, though. I'm really glad they had it added.
00:33:58
Speaker
um It added some good comedic relief to the film, added to the montage, if you will. It kind of helped with that, all the science of it. Definitely.
00:34:09
Speaker
And then last character I have down here of our main cast, even though it's not a huge role, is Mary, the the Hail Mary ship played by ah Priya Kansara.
00:34:21
Speaker
And I thought that was just a fun little, you know, someone I kind of recognize the name. I think was she the one that was in ah our last one in His and Hers? as one it Was it the same name? or Am I wrong? One of the characters is named Priya.
00:34:35
Speaker
Is not the same? ah Oh, that's right. I was, my brain was connected those two then. Nevermind. But I thought the voice was good and I thought that it was kind of fun that the ship was talking to him and had a little bit of personality too.
00:34:48
Speaker
I feel like you can do kind of a two for one when it comes to Mary and and throw Armando in here as well, because we had a lot of, you know, Grace's observations and interactions with the the surgical or or medical aid arms ah that helped, you know, facilitate his survival through the coma. But ah yeah, it was it was nice to see that play out in live action. Very, ah reminded me a lot of Iron Man and Dummy.
00:35:17
Speaker
so Yeah, Butterfingers. I have two three d printers here, and I've named them Butterfingers and Dummy in their software.
00:35:31
Speaker
Anything else on characters that I missed? Anything guys can think of?
00:35:38
Speaker
I'll just hop back to Strat for just a second because I'm not sure if I'll get an opportunity to bring it up elsewhere. But I think one of the things that really makes her work as well in her interactions with Grace, because you know we sung the the praises of Ryan Gosling so much and how funny he is, but I think it's her...
00:35:55
Speaker
acting as a straight man to his comedy um that makes it work so much because I think about the first time they even meet each other and it's like knock knock who's there ah I don't tell jokes don't tell I don't do jokes I don't do jokes who and then he and then she's holding the bean bag the like the earth bean bag and he's like that's lava and she's just like it's not that's so good I was laughing so hard nobody else was but I was cracking up in my theater Yeah, their dynamic is really nice. And I'm itching to go see it again. I hope I can make it happen before it's streaming. But it all those little nuances are like things that you like get lost when you're thinking back on it with only having it seen one time. So... Hopefully I can get back to the big screen, but I cannot wait. This is going to be probably one of my comfort movies when it comes out. And this is definitely going to be like Ready Player One is another one that I read almost every year. This is definitely going to be another one that I read annually. It's just so good.
00:36:54
Speaker
That's actually I kind of was thinking about doing another read through just to you ah refresh myself, but also just because I wanted to. And I did just read through Ready Player One again just because I needed something comforting. So I'm want with you there.
00:37:07
Speaker
um All right. So the other thing we were going to talk about at the beginning or in the first episode here was the locations. There's some key locations that um we wanted to bring up.
Visuals of Space and Their Story Impact
00:37:19
Speaker
I'm going to go through them and then we can kind of go back. And if there's anything specific you want to say about them.
00:37:23
Speaker
um Yeah. and I just want to note that we added that. I brought it up to you guys because we don't normally do like the locations when we're talking about adaptation, but we talked about it earlier. This movie is so beautiful that I thought it was really relevant to talk about how they brought each of these settings to life on the big screen. Cause it's just so beautiful. And I think it needed its own spotlight. Mm-hmm.
00:37:45
Speaker
Definitely. I threw Earth in there just because it is one of the locations. It has the classroom and the NASA lab, which and obviously the aircraft carrier and all that stuff. um The ship, the Hail Mary, lip A of Rocky's ship, Tau Ceti and Tau Ceti E, the planet and star, and then Erit at the end. I may have missed one or two in there if you guys have any the other ones, but anything you want to bring up specifically about any of those?
00:38:12
Speaker
Yeah. Talseti and Talseti E are just so gorgeous, so stunning. Like the green and red and just the way that it that they came together, like that, um that CGI of of that was just so beautiful. And it, you know, I'm not necessarily a big like space person. Like I'm not somebody who's going up and gazing at the stars and like questioning my existence. um But this movie and those visuals did kind of make me like, we live in a beautiful universe, like, and even earth, like you joke, like, it's you know, it's just earth, but like,
00:38:50
Speaker
there's so much beauty in earth. And I think that's something that this movie brought to life is like, earth is worth saving and people are worth saving. And we are so fortunate to even exist. Like the amount of like opportunity that we had to evolve differently and turn out like Rocky or turn out like astrophage, like, and yet here we are as humans and we get to sit and have computers and cameras and talk on a podcast and podcasts exist. Like,
00:39:20
Speaker
the the The important thing in life. this Right. Like the statistics of this, of us all existing in this moment in time together are so astronomically small that that in and of itself is beautiful. And this movie is just like a testament to the beauty of humanity and love and hope and just everything. And then it all kind of came together in these images of these other planets and and stars and it's just the whole thing is just visually very very stunning all the way through it's funny how the bigness of space makes you think so much about the small things in life
00:40:00
Speaker
Yeah, I was gonna say and you said you're not the kind of person that looks up to the stars and contemplates your existence and and you wax and wane on the poetic astronomical odds of like us all being here right now. That's that's really poignant and beautiful and I'm glad you said that before I had the chance to chime in because I was gonna say like Earth's Earth. We've seen Earth a million times like they got Earth, they nailed Earth. but We can appreciate that. but um To be a ah little more ah eloquent about it and actually talk about a little bit of what they do offer in the movies. um I think they did do a pretty good job of setting it in a... It didn't feel like today. It felt like maybe...
00:40:39
Speaker
five, 10 years in the future. So not so far removed that it couldn't be feasible, but just, and that's that's kind of a difficult thing to do to to make it feel like in the future, but not so so far removed. So I did appreciate that aspect of it. Thinking about the Earth-based locations, we didn't really get...
00:40:56
Speaker
i They didn't hang a lantern on it, but I think ah you could argue that maybe it was seen, but there was the whole storyline about having to ah replace like the Sahara Desert with like solar panels. and There is the sequence where Strat and Grace are having the conversation before the explosion goes off, but that looked like a much colder environment to me based on the way they were they were dressed. So i was thinking maybe Siberia or something. I couldn't remember exactly where they were in the book at that point in time, but I thought that took place in the Sahara. So we didn't get that, but um you know the the sets that they did use felt very, very grounded and and real, didn't feel like we were on a green screen or anything like that. But I feel like the big one we have to talk about is Rocky's Ship because we never really get to see that in the book. and they describe it And they describe it as like thin metal plates being like stretched out along each other. And depending on the angle, you can see different things. But just that sequence where he's like yeah if i it would be pretty cool to get to see your ship and then he finally does get aboard and it's basically it looks like string theory come to life to me you've just got these rods of gold that shimmer and are iridescent and it's like almost like he can play guitar on them like oh just visual splendor visual splendor little bit of interstellar vibes you know the oh yeah doing the travel through the yeah
00:42:20
Speaker
Well, and Tau Ceti as well, are but they end up they name it Adrian, right? Because it's Tau Ceti It's plant name in the end, yeah. Originally, and it's like, hey, that's you know we can come up with something better than that. And I i love the exchange that Grace is like, hey, you got to see this. You got to look at this. You got to see this in Rocky's. see it. It's boring.
00:42:40
Speaker
There's nothing there And that's like, that is, that is one of the sequences in the movie where I think Grace even says it, like, I'm just having a moment. I just want to take this have a moment. he turns on the infrared, like UV display and you just watch all the astrophage. Like, oh, that's, that's, that's where it gets transcendent for me. I'm getting goosebumps again. Cause it's, it's, beautiful Yes. See, I was getting a little emotional when Jordan was talking about not looking up at the stars because I do – like that's one of the reasons why I love and wanted to move where I currently live because we don't have a lot of city light. So we can look up at the sky and just see everything.
00:43:12
Speaker
And I'll go out into my backyard and I'll look up. And then I do love thinking about space and i do get overwhelmed because i'm like, oh my gosh, like where does it end? How does it end? You can go off on a tangent. um But thinking about like even our planets and the new images that they just released and how gorgeous those are like in our own solar system. So to see Adrian and like just like it fill up your entire screen and him just floating there and saying he's having a a moment and like the music is beautiful. And like you're like, yeah, you could really understand what he's feeling in that moment because it's just gorgeous. They did a wonderful job bringing that planet to life. And then when they flip the switch and they go fishing and it's that they're in the um the red line. um And like, I don't know how they filmed that, but it was incredible. And again, like he's doing the flips and like, it's just that whole sequence was just amazing. Like this, if anything, they need to win cine cinematography or something for this freaking movie because they did a really great job.
00:44:16
Speaker
They did. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I mean, thinking about the way that Rocky doesn't have eyes to see things the same way we do is also a very interesting part about that whole thing of like, he's exactly the moment and him having to be like, yeah, it's, it's, I can see what I can see of it, but there's nothing there to see. you i don't know what you're talking about. So us being able to see with our eyes and and enjoy these things is, yeah is a pretty amazing thing in itself that you kind of have to appreciate after seeing a being that doesn't have that ability.
00:44:43
Speaker
Yeah, he's like, it's medium rough planet. Because he can't see color. And it's like, no, it's like actually the most stunning, beautiful visual I've ever seen in my life. That's actually what it is. But sure, medium rough planet is fine. Let's go. that We'll meet in the middle. there Like, I wish we got more time on Arid because it's like, what do you think is beautiful? Like, what is beautiful to somebody that doesn't have color and just has color?
00:45:08
Speaker
yeah like shapes and volume well in the book it talks about how it's dark it's just black on that planet because they don't need light to see light doesn't reach and so there's you know it yeah that that is a good question of like what what does art look like on that planet if it's not visual I think you get a little bit of a sense because he wears the ceremonial garb. It's in the book and the movie when they're celebrating. And he's like, you know, these little things that kind of protrude and shimmer and and make noise as he shakes them and jostles them. Like, that makes sense to me. Those are those are the things that they would find stimulating. Yeah.
00:45:45
Speaker
yeah Oh, and he did say, so it's like sounds are beautiful to them because he did say his wife's name was beautiful or his mate. I'm sorry. His mate's name is beautiful. And it was long and they did a really good job in the film portraying that name as well because you did feel like it was a pretty name in that language. Right up until the end. Yeah. That's a little bit a word. Yes. um so yeah if you can't see i guess sound is what is like mean and music does make me emotional so i get it can see how sounds can have that feeling that would have interesting thing to see it would have been like if grace was a musician or something and had a little bit of a like playing a guitar that would have been great then interaction with music would have been really interesting yeah maybe the sequel yes
00:46:33
Speaker
Fingers crossed. Any other major location things you guys wanted to discuss? Yeah, you were right at the end. was really pretty cool to to see that moment. We'll get into that in the epilogue if nothing else there, but.
00:46:49
Speaker
Well, I guess just to talk about the Hail Mary ship a little bit, in the book, you because and it just shows what painstaking accuracy Andy Weir goes to, but you actually get a diagram of the Hail Mary and get to see how it works with the centrifuge and everything like that.
00:47:04
Speaker
In the movie, you have a whole new room. There's this like mental health room where has it visually displays like with screens. It takes... it it In the movie, it functions as the way to help um Rocky and Grace bond, and he gets to show him Earth that way. and I can't remember who said it, but you know Earth is a place worth saving, and you get that to have that moment where Rocky says, like I like Earth. like Earth finger seems cool. so I thought that was another... What's that?
00:47:31
Speaker
He gets to meet Rocky in the movie, too. and like Yeah, exactly exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And go deep sea fishing and all that. so yeah That was one of the the big changes that I thought worked and it makes a a ton of sense if you're you know going to be out in space for that long it would make sense to have some kind of sensory yeah escape like that And it was actually a red herring in the trailer because you see a moment of him on the beach crying. And i turned to Matthew and I was like, oh, that's at the end when he realizes the sun is fixed and he's crying. um Come to find out it was in the ship the whole time. And it's he had some sort of realization and he was having his moment. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, that's not even like they totally threw me off in the trailer. And they took that moment out. And I actually didn't like that they took that moment out. They changed it a little bit. Yeah. And I'm sure we'll, we'll get into that in the next episode. Cause yeah, I have thoughts on that too. Yeah. Okay. Well, let's, ah let's wrap up this episode and are this, yeah, then we'll move on to part two next week. Bye.
00:48:33
Speaker
bye All right. I'm rubbing my forearm in the Aridani way. Goodbye.
00:48:42
Speaker
That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch. We hope you enjoy diving into the world of page-to-screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen, and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
00:48:57
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at bookwatchpodcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
00:49:15
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at jjcorrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at cyborgnight404. That's knight with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Bookwatch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups. slash book watch lounge.
00:49:36
Speaker
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash book watch podcast. Tiers start at only $4 a month and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation or just want to let us know of any feedback. Send us an email at book watch podcast at gmail.com.
00:49:58
Speaker
Until next time. Keep reading. Keep watching. And we'll see you next week.