The blockbuster movie adaptation of the Andy Weir novel “Project Hail Mary” was released in March 2026. It has been a big success at the box office and is receiving very positive reviews. Credit belongs to a fine cast and to producers and writers who stuck near to the book’s main plotlines and its primary characters. They didn’t load the movie with extraneous Hollywood nonsense or profanity and didn’t allow the necessarily superb special effects to overshadow the novel’s excellent storyline and characters. I enjoyed the movie and give it the highest of ratings.
The movie clocks in at 156 minutes. By comparison, the audiobook edition of the novel runs over 16 hours, an indicator of how long it takes to read the book. Obviously, a lot of the book had to be excised and compacted to bring it to the screen. The movie stands on its own, regardless of whether you have read the book, but some great things got left out of the movie. I hope the movie serves as an appetizer for reading the novel (available in multiple formats and language translations).
Back in 2021 I wrote a very favorable review of the novel. The reviewing essay incorporates a free short story that explores these questions- “What happened next?” and “Is there intelligent life on other planets?” To see this review (include the option for an entertaining YouTube video adaptation of the review and short story), follow this link: [Epilogue for Project Hail Mary]. That 2021 review fits the movie as well as the novel, but a few details in the short story won’t track from the abbreviated movie script (e.g., the character “Steve Hatch” didn’t make it into the movie). I recommend you read the book (or at least watch the movie) before you read the short story.
Official Site for Mark C. Tredecim, author 