I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely....
I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely. While not paramount to the core emotional story of Ryland and Rocky, those details really breathed some extra depth into the story.
To me it was a story about friendship and ingenuity at the edges of space. The film only did a good job at capturing the former. Without any time on the theorizing and the experimentation, it felt like an emotional montage and never breathed in the moment.
All that said, I was still a teary eyed mess most of the film. Had fun, would watch again!
While I've read the book I went with some friends who had not and they seemed to still really enjoy it. The mystery reveals probably land a bit better in the book but I can also see how learning...
While I've read the book I went with some friends who had not and they seemed to still really enjoy it. The mystery reveals probably land a bit better in the book but I can also see how learning all the scientific details about everything by reading the book afterwards could be fun too.
I’m actually considering reading the book for this too. I actually got a rather random recommendation to read it as part of a “brain rot cure” discussion, so I figure it must be a pretty good read.
I’m actually considering reading the book for this too. I actually got a rather random recommendation to read it as part of a “brain rot cure” discussion, so I figure it must be a pretty good read.
I think the best part about the science aspect to the book is that it makes it FUN, not just a list of boring space facts but the whole relation to the main character and his excitement about...
I think the best part about the science aspect to the book is that it makes it FUN, not just a list of boring space facts but the whole relation to the main character and his excitement about learning new things.
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type...
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type films that doesn't really take any risks.
I would've loved a little slower pace, a few more quiet thinky moments, that kind of thing. Hard to see how to fit that into the already-long two and a half hours, but a guy can dream.
I did really enjoy it though, and I'm so glad they didn't change the ending (either the revelation about how Grace came to be on the mission, or his final choice).
I just grabbed my copy. He's much older in the book and rejects the offer of a return trip because he has arthritis and doesn't know exactly what kind of world he'd be returning to. But he does...
I just grabbed my copy. He's much older in the book and rejects the offer of a return trip because he has arthritis and doesn't know exactly what kind of world he'd be returning to. But he does know Earth cured its star of astrophage. He doesn't start the return journey at all.
The last line and scene is however identical between the book and movie.
I just looked at my book and he does plan to go home: "I set course for Earth and fire up the spin drives. I'm going home." However he's torn about going back into a coma and stays awake to keep...
I just looked at my book and he does plan to go home: "I set course for Earth and fire up the spin drives. I'm going home."
However he's torn about going back into a coma and stays awake to keep tabs on Rocky's ship.
I don't have easy access to the book, but how does this tie in to him staying at Rocky's planet to teach? I remember the last line being something like him asking something about the speed of...
I don't have easy access to the book, but how does this tie in to him staying at Rocky's planet to teach?
I remember the last line being something like him asking something about the speed of light, and all the kids raising their claws.
Because he never goes into a coma for the trip he is awake to discover the fuel contamination. When he sees it has also completely crippled Rocky's ship he has to choose between going home or...
Because he never goes into a coma for the trip he is awake to discover the fuel contamination. When he sees it has also completely crippled Rocky's ship he has to choose between going home or rescuing Rocky and the billions on Rocky's homeworld.
Have read the book. Have listened to the audiobook. Spents months wishing they wouldn't mess the adaptation. I am very pleased with the movie. If you come into it expecting a blow-by-blow...
Have read the book. Have listened to the audiobook. Spents months wishing they wouldn't mess the adaptation.
I am very pleased with the movie. If you come into it expecting a blow-by-blow retelling of the book, you will be sorely disappointed. There is no way to fit sixteen hours' worth of content into a movie.
If you come into it expecting a faithful adaptation to the spirit of the story, making accommodations for length and visual media, you will almost certainly be pleased, although there are a few nitpicks regarding plot points that are glossed over or changed. I felt that the changes are logical and understandable.
The movie people did a great job adapting this story, I was pleased and will watch again. In order of enjoyment out of the experience, I would say the audiobook is king, and the book and movie tied for close second.
Again, that is valid unless you go into the movie with a nitpicking mindset. The spirit of the story is there, but there were many understandable changes introduced, and some minor arguably unnecessary changes.
I'd say, if you have not read the books go in blind. It will be a wild ride of emotion and friendship. If you have read the books, go into the movie with an open mind. The movie stands on its own, it is not a carbon copy of the book. If you are the type of person who obsesses over details and faithfulness to canon, skip the movie and stick to the books (but you will still be missing on a different, beautiful experience)
As a tangent - I think Wil Wheaton doing the audio book for Ready Player One just enhanced it beyond the text itself. Sometimes combined media is greater than the sum of its parts.
As a tangent - I think Wil Wheaton doing the audio book for Ready Player One just enhanced it beyond the text itself. Sometimes combined media is greater than the sum of its parts.
This could be me but I found it hard to imagine Rocky's musical speech. The audiobook nails that in my opinion. That is all. It is not a huge difference, but it is superior to me.
This could be me but I found it hard to imagine Rocky's musical speech. The audiobook nails that in my opinion. That is all. It is not a huge difference, but it is superior to me.
My gosh that's such an interesting answer!! Rocky's musical voice in the audio book didn't line up for what I imagined! Which was the main reason I thought the book was better - despite loving the...
My gosh that's such an interesting answer!! Rocky's musical voice in the audio book didn't line up for what I imagined! Which was the main reason I thought the book was better - despite loving the audiobook!
Because I did the audiobook recently, I thought Rocky landed in the movie.
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so...
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so desire, but if you want to catch it on streaming, it has lots of vibes from the Martian of science guy doing science if that helps you make your decision.
Spoiler Alert
Rocky is a fun little guy, and makes the road trip in space work. There’s some discussion about how it makes him more of a sidekick than it does in the book, and I can see it if I squint, maybe. But that’s part and parcel of an adaptation, it means someone’s favorite scene is getting cut, and I think the film did good enough with what it had. Should they have done the pseudo romance with Strautt and Grace, and was the karaoke scene necessary? I can see why people would hate it, but I think it makes the knife twist work better. Similarly, a lot of Grace and Rocky shooting the shit and comparing cultural notes got compressed, and that’s sad, but unless they wanted a full blown multi episode installment, they couldn’t get it all in, and they did the best with what they had. Plus glossing over Grace’s last spacewalk was probably for the best.
I enjoyed it! Drove through three states to get to the largest IMAX in my area. It was worth it. I felt they took plenty of license to rework the story for the medium, but overall it was a...
I enjoyed it! Drove through three states to get to the largest IMAX in my area. It was worth it.
I felt they took plenty of license to rework the story for the medium, but overall it was a faithful enough retelling that I enjoyed what was presented.
I am happy I went to see it during opening weekend to contribute my two tickets worth of 'please still make sci fi imax'.
Just got back from seeing it with my mom. Sadly we did not see it in IMAX, the visuals would be spectacular on that screen. Rocky's ship has to be the most truly alien ship I've seen to date, I...
Just got back from seeing it with my mom. Sadly we did not see it in IMAX, the visuals would be spectacular on that screen. Rocky's ship has to be the most truly alien ship I've seen to date, I could barely comprehend its structure at first, and I would have loved to see it on a massive IMAX screen.
I have not read the book, and I see a bunch of comments talking about the lack of technical details in the adaptation. I personally think the movie made a good choice focusing on the emotional beats more than the full science parts. Movies and books are different mediums, and trying to incorporate a bunch of detailed breakdowns of the scientific parts would be easier in writing since you have the narrative bits to also convey it. Movies communicate knowledge via visuals and spoken dialogue.
I don't know how much of the scientific information in the book was given through dialogue versus communicated through prose. Chances are that the movie would end up being a LOT of exposition delivered via monologues and lectures, and while they can absolutely make it interesting... Well, it would take up a good amount of time and run a risk of still being a bit too dry and boring.
As it stands, I think the movie did a great job communicating the most vital information for the viewers. It didn't over-explain or over-simplify things, it treated the audience as reasonably intelligent and didn't get bogged down on the details. The choice to focus on emotional beats over explaining all the science was the right one in my opinion. It actually had me on the edge of my seat multiple times whispering "Noooo", and there were so many moments where I just had a giant grin watching Grace and Rocky interact and work together to save BOTH their planets.
Honestly... This movie is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. My biggest takeaway from it was a sense of hope. Leaving and checking Tildes to see references to all the crummy current events felt like whiplash, because the movie left me in genuinely high spirits and just a generally hopeful and happy mindset. I'm still in that headspace a bit.
It reminds me of a quote from an astronaut, about how when you see Earth from space, all the problems and conflicts feel so inconsequential. This movie has captured that feeling really well. Right now, all the current events feel far away and inconsequential in the bigger picture.
So yeah, it's a really good movie. I'm glad we saw it, and REALLY glad it avoided the more "bittersweet" ending that so many similar works tend to have these days. It's rare to see any sort of story that just purely embodies hope like this.
Yeah, thats the thing I really appreciate about it more than anything else, I think. It’s a movie that is effectively about optimism. Aggressive optimism. The entire movie is “gee, I hope this...
Yeah, thats the thing I really appreciate about it more than anything else, I think. It’s a movie that is effectively about optimism. Aggressive optimism. The entire movie is “gee, I hope this works”… and then it does!
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film. The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem...
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film.
The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem solving. I don't think that translates as easily to film without becoming The Edison Twins. Gosling's mainstream work is usually very safe/accessible... I'm ready for him to do another Drive or Only God Forgives.
I saw it in IMAX. It’s probably the first movie I’ve seen in theaters and actually enjoyed since the pandemic. The extra vertical dimension really makes the cinematography feel immersive when...
I saw it in IMAX. It’s probably the first movie I’ve seen in theaters and actually enjoyed since the pandemic. The extra vertical dimension really makes the cinematography feel immersive when compared to the regular print, even though IMAX is smaller than it used to be. When I asked my husband about the screen seeming to be small, he responded that he picked the theater because it was the largest surviving IMAX screen in our area, which is pretty sad when your area is Los Angeles.
The story has quite a lot of twists and I imagine that it must have been very difficult to decide on how to adapt the screenplay. One thing that I appreciated is that when the main character gets their memory back they aren’t doing the trope of it happening through a migraine - it’s just a scene transition to a cropped frame. But at the same time it makes it difficult to know if he’s actually getting the memories back or if this is just the silent narrator telling us more of the story.
I looked into the screen size thing just for this movie too! I found the references to "Liemax", which is apparently most of my local theaters. I end up going off this:...
I looked into the screen size thing just for this movie too! I found the references to "Liemax", which is apparently most of my local theaters. I end up going off this:
City Walk was pretty much booked solid. I ended up going to a Sunday matinee at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The movie was a huge hit with the whole family. We all thought the screen looked huge, and the movie was beautiful. I hadn't been there in more than a decade, and I forgot how actually convenient it is once you're there. Just one screen, so you just walk in off the street with your ticket, straight to concessions, and the pretty theatre is right behind it.
Of course, that's after parking and getting through the Hollywood Blvd of it all.
We loved The Martian as a book and hated it as a movie. Alan Weir's books are fun and funny, but it seemed to us that they had stripped almost all of that away from it. That's why I was a bit...
We loved The Martian as a book and hated it as a movie. Alan Weir's books are fun and funny, but it seemed to us that they had stripped almost all of that away from it.
That's why I was a bit scared that I'd have to be disappointed again, but nope. Project Hail Mary was a great movie.
They hadn't messed up the soul of the book, Ryan Gosling worked very well in the lead role, and I really liked how extensively they used music all over the place. I guess the only bad thing was that there were really no surprises, but that also means that there were no negative surprises.
I liked it overall, but I don’t think it’s as good as The Martian. I think it’s a bit overlong, it overstays its welcome, and its humor is outdated. It looks beautiful, Greg Fraser is a hell of a...
I liked it overall, but I don’t think it’s as good as The Martian. I think it’s a bit overlong, it overstays its welcome, and its humor is outdated. It looks beautiful, Greg Fraser is a hell of a cinematographer considering he did this after The Batman and Dune Part Two. And it’s great to have Lord and Miller back in the director chair since their last directorial effort was 12 years ago with 22 Jump Street (they worked on Solo but were fired before production was completed).
Here’s where I think it’s Oscar nominations will land:
Picture
Lead Actor
Adapted Screenplay
Cinematography
Score
VFX
Film Editing
Sound
Production Design
Think Lord and Miller will get in at DGA but miss the Oscar nom in favor of some Cannes stuff.
Like to win Picture? Not really. But I think it could win Adapted Screenplay, early to say but as of right now it seems its biggest competition would be Tom Ford’s Cry to Heaven, which will have...
Like to win Picture? Not really. But I think it could win Adapted Screenplay, early to say but as of right now it seems its biggest competition would be Tom Ford’s Cry to Heaven, which will have British support. And winning Screenplay increases your chance to win Picture, and that’s more than either F1 or Top Gun had going for them.
I think it’s a top 5 contender. As in, there used to be only five Picture nominations at the Oscar’s and I think PHM would be in that half as opposed to the bottom half which F1 was (Top Gun was probably in the top half).
Although the only issue is that with Narnia, The Odyssey, and Dune 3 sci-fi/fantasy contenders appear to be in abundance this year.
I read the book about a month ago in preparation for watching the movie and I'm very glad I did. The film was emotional and heartfelt, but glossed over the technical/scientific details entirely. While not paramount to the core emotional story of Ryland and Rocky, those details really breathed some extra depth into the story.
To me it was a story about friendship and ingenuity at the edges of space. The film only did a good job at capturing the former. Without any time on the theorizing and the experimentation, it felt like an emotional montage and never breathed in the moment.
All that said, I was still a teary eyed mess most of the film. Had fun, would watch again!
I was going to ask if I should hold off on watching this until I read the book (own, but haven't made time for it yet). I think this answers that!
While I've read the book I went with some friends who had not and they seemed to still really enjoy it. The mystery reveals probably land a bit better in the book but I can also see how learning all the scientific details about everything by reading the book afterwards could be fun too.
I’m actually considering reading the book for this too. I actually got a rather random recommendation to read it as part of a “brain rot cure” discussion, so I figure it must be a pretty good read.
I think the best part about the science aspect to the book is that it makes it FUN, not just a list of boring space facts but the whole relation to the main character and his excitement about learning new things.
I'll link my earlier comment, but the gist is that while I liked the movie quite a bit, it did feel very "safe" and was definitely one of those all-the-edges-sanded-off Hollywood Blockbuster type films that doesn't really take any risks.
I would've loved a little slower pace, a few more quiet thinky moments, that kind of thing. Hard to see how to fit that into the already-long two and a half hours, but a guy can dream.
I did really enjoy it though, and I'm so glad they didn't change the ending (either the revelation about how Grace came to be on the mission, or his final choice).
In the book I don’t remember him being able to return home.
It was there briefly at the very end, but I seem to recall that it was a "blink and you miss it" kind of thing.
It was pretty explicit- he actually fully starts the journey home before aborting it..
I just grabbed my copy. He's much older in the book and rejects the offer of a return trip because he has arthritis and doesn't know exactly what kind of world he'd be returning to. But he does know Earth cured its star of astrophage. He doesn't start the return journey at all.
The last line and scene is however identical between the book and movie.
I just looked at my book and he does plan to go home: "I set course for Earth and fire up the spin drives. I'm going home."
However he's torn about going back into a coma and stays awake to keep tabs on Rocky's ship.
I don't have easy access to the book, but how does this tie in to him staying at Rocky's planet to teach?
I remember the last line being something like him asking something about the speed of light, and all the kids raising their claws.
Because he never goes into a coma for the trip he is awake to discover the fuel contamination. When he sees it has also completely crippled Rocky's ship he has to choose between going home or rescuing Rocky and the billions on Rocky's homeworld.
Weird, that isn't how I remembered it, but it's been a couple of years since I read it.
Have read the book. Have listened to the audiobook. Spents months wishing they wouldn't mess the adaptation.
I am very pleased with the movie. If you come into it expecting a blow-by-blow retelling of the book, you will be sorely disappointed. There is no way to fit sixteen hours' worth of content into a movie.
If you come into it expecting a faithful adaptation to the spirit of the story, making accommodations for length and visual media, you will almost certainly be pleased, although there are a few nitpicks regarding plot points that are glossed over or changed. I felt that the changes are logical and understandable.
The movie people did a great job adapting this story, I was pleased and will watch again. In order of enjoyment out of the experience, I would say the audiobook is king, and the book and movie tied for close second.
Again, that is valid unless you go into the movie with a nitpicking mindset. The spirit of the story is there, but there were many understandable changes introduced, and some minor arguably unnecessary changes.
I'd say, if you have not read the books go in blind. It will be a wild ride of emotion and friendship. If you have read the books, go into the movie with an open mind. The movie stands on its own, it is not a carbon copy of the book. If you are the type of person who obsesses over details and faithfulness to canon, skip the movie and stick to the books (but you will still be missing on a different, beautiful experience)
Myself? Zero regrets. They didn't fuck it up.
As a tangent - I think Wil Wheaton doing the audio book for Ready Player One just enhanced it beyond the text itself. Sometimes combined media is greater than the sum of its parts.
I read the book and listened to my partner listen to the audio book. Why did you find the audio superior?
This could be me but I found it hard to imagine Rocky's musical speech. The audiobook nails that in my opinion. That is all. It is not a huge difference, but it is superior to me.
My gosh that's such an interesting answer!! Rocky's musical voice in the audio book didn't line up for what I imagined! Which was the main reason I thought the book was better - despite loving the audiobook!
Because I did the audiobook recently, I thought Rocky landed in the movie.
Good chat!
The audiobook is my canonical experience of the story, and I think the movie does a pretty good adaptation. A lot of the visuals were worthy of the theater experience if that is what you so desire, but if you want to catch it on streaming, it has lots of vibes from the Martian of science guy doing science if that helps you make your decision.
Spoiler Alert
Rocky is a fun little guy, and makes the road trip in space work. There’s some discussion about how it makes him more of a sidekick than it does in the book, and I can see it if I squint, maybe. But that’s part and parcel of an adaptation, it means someone’s favorite scene is getting cut, and I think the film did good enough with what it had. Should they have done the pseudo romance with Strautt and Grace, and was the karaoke scene necessary? I can see why people would hate it, but I think it makes the knife twist work better. Similarly, a lot of Grace and Rocky shooting the shit and comparing cultural notes got compressed, and that’s sad, but unless they wanted a full blown multi episode installment, they couldn’t get it all in, and they did the best with what they had. Plus glossing over Grace’s last spacewalk was probably for the best.
I enjoyed it! Drove through three states to get to the largest IMAX in my area. It was worth it.
I felt they took plenty of license to rework the story for the medium, but overall it was a faithful enough retelling that I enjoyed what was presented.
I am happy I went to see it during opening weekend to contribute my two tickets worth of 'please still make sci fi imax'.
I feel there’s not many locations where one can say this.
When your target is Rhode Island ... You're not exactly talking the big states! 😀
Just got back from seeing it with my mom. Sadly we did not see it in IMAX, the visuals would be spectacular on that screen. Rocky's ship has to be the most truly alien ship I've seen to date, I could barely comprehend its structure at first, and I would have loved to see it on a massive IMAX screen.
I have not read the book, and I see a bunch of comments talking about the lack of technical details in the adaptation. I personally think the movie made a good choice focusing on the emotional beats more than the full science parts. Movies and books are different mediums, and trying to incorporate a bunch of detailed breakdowns of the scientific parts would be easier in writing since you have the narrative bits to also convey it. Movies communicate knowledge via visuals and spoken dialogue.
I don't know how much of the scientific information in the book was given through dialogue versus communicated through prose. Chances are that the movie would end up being a LOT of exposition delivered via monologues and lectures, and while they can absolutely make it interesting... Well, it would take up a good amount of time and run a risk of still being a bit too dry and boring.
As it stands, I think the movie did a great job communicating the most vital information for the viewers. It didn't over-explain or over-simplify things, it treated the audience as reasonably intelligent and didn't get bogged down on the details. The choice to focus on emotional beats over explaining all the science was the right one in my opinion. It actually had me on the edge of my seat multiple times whispering "Noooo", and there were so many moments where I just had a giant grin watching Grace and Rocky interact and work together to save BOTH their planets.
Honestly... This movie is one of the best things I've seen in a long time. My biggest takeaway from it was a sense of hope. Leaving and checking Tildes to see references to all the crummy current events felt like whiplash, because the movie left me in genuinely high spirits and just a generally hopeful and happy mindset. I'm still in that headspace a bit.
It reminds me of a quote from an astronaut, about how when you see Earth from space, all the problems and conflicts feel so inconsequential. This movie has captured that feeling really well. Right now, all the current events feel far away and inconsequential in the bigger picture.
So yeah, it's a really good movie. I'm glad we saw it, and REALLY glad it avoided the more "bittersweet" ending that so many similar works tend to have these days. It's rare to see any sort of story that just purely embodies hope like this.
Yeah, thats the thing I really appreciate about it more than anything else, I think. It’s a movie that is effectively about optimism. Aggressive optimism. The entire movie is “gee, I hope this works”… and then it does!
Andy Weir was on the NYT Book Review Podcast and spoke about writing the book and a little about his involvement in the film.
The best part of his books, at least for me, is the detailed problem solving. I don't think that translates as easily to film without becoming The Edison Twins. Gosling's mainstream work is usually very safe/accessible... I'm ready for him to do another Drive or Only God Forgives.
I saw it in IMAX. It’s probably the first movie I’ve seen in theaters and actually enjoyed since the pandemic. The extra vertical dimension really makes the cinematography feel immersive when compared to the regular print, even though IMAX is smaller than it used to be. When I asked my husband about the screen seeming to be small, he responded that he picked the theater because it was the largest surviving IMAX screen in our area, which is pretty sad when your area is Los Angeles.
The story has quite a lot of twists and I imagine that it must have been very difficult to decide on how to adapt the screenplay. One thing that I appreciated is that when the main character gets their memory back they aren’t doing the trope of it happening through a migraine - it’s just a scene transition to a cropped frame. But at the same time it makes it difficult to know if he’s actually getting the memories back or if this is just the silent narrator telling us more of the story.
I looked into the screen size thing just for this movie too! I found the references to "Liemax", which is apparently most of my local theaters. I end up going off this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/imax/comments/1b33wwo/la_area_imax_screen_comparison/#lightbox
City Walk was pretty much booked solid. I ended up going to a Sunday matinee at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The movie was a huge hit with the whole family. We all thought the screen looked huge, and the movie was beautiful. I hadn't been there in more than a decade, and I forgot how actually convenient it is once you're there. Just one screen, so you just walk in off the street with your ticket, straight to concessions, and the pretty theatre is right behind it.
Of course, that's after parking and getting through the Hollywood Blvd of it all.
We loved The Martian as a book and hated it as a movie. Alan Weir's books are fun and funny, but it seemed to us that they had stripped almost all of that away from it.
That's why I was a bit scared that I'd have to be disappointed again, but nope. Project Hail Mary was a great movie.
They hadn't messed up the soul of the book, Ryan Gosling worked very well in the lead role, and I really liked how extensively they used music all over the place. I guess the only bad thing was that there were really no surprises, but that also means that there were no negative surprises.
I liked it overall, but I don’t think it’s as good as The Martian. I think it’s a bit overlong, it overstays its welcome, and its humor is outdated. It looks beautiful, Greg Fraser is a hell of a cinematographer considering he did this after The Batman and Dune Part Two. And it’s great to have Lord and Miller back in the director chair since their last directorial effort was 12 years ago with 22 Jump Street (they worked on Solo but were fired before production was completed).
Here’s where I think it’s Oscar nominations will land:
Picture
Lead Actor
Adapted Screenplay
Cinematography
Score
VFX
Film Editing
Sound
Production Design
Think Lord and Miller will get in at DGA but miss the Oscar nom in favor of some Cannes stuff.
Do you see it as a serious contender or an F1/Top Gun: Maverick type nod to a well-made popcorn flick?
Like to win Picture? Not really. But I think it could win Adapted Screenplay, early to say but as of right now it seems its biggest competition would be Tom Ford’s Cry to Heaven, which will have British support. And winning Screenplay increases your chance to win Picture, and that’s more than either F1 or Top Gun had going for them.
I think it’s a top 5 contender. As in, there used to be only five Picture nominations at the Oscar’s and I think PHM would be in that half as opposed to the bottom half which F1 was (Top Gun was probably in the top half).
Although the only issue is that with Narnia, The Odyssey, and Dune 3 sci-fi/fantasy contenders appear to be in abundance this year.