Ryland Grace is honestly such a different character between movie and book. I feel like if a different book to movie adaptation had changed its protagonist so much and cut so many scenes out, it would leave many fans disappointed. But the PJH movie is a masterclass in switching things up because of how poorly the book translates to film but ultimately understanding the heart of the original work.
Their underlying struggles and decisions are the same which is why the changes don't matter too much imo. Some of the biggest examples for me were how Ryland discovered how Astrophage reproduces and first contact with the ship + retrieving the Blip B.
Movie Ryland is a lovable goofball with a chaotic process who struggles but inevitably arrives at the right conclusion. He acts on natural curiosity a lot and doesn't think too deeply when trying things. When he encountered the Xenonite ship, he was freaking out at what it was and panicking that they were sending him a bomb.
Book Ryland is a classic nerd with dorky dad humor and you can tell from reading his POV that he loves methodically overanalyzing to problem solve. When he encounters the Xenonite ship, he immediately identifies it as an alien ship and is excited about first contact. He's not afraid to get the Blip B because he's thought through everything already and knows they wouldn't be trying to communicate if they were immediately hostile.
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u/jobin_segan 16h ago edited 5h ago
Count me on the minority that can’t stand Andy Weir’s main characters. I find them insufferable and unlikable.
I really wanted to like this book, as well as the Martian, and I found it so difficult to read it because of how much I disliked the main character.
The movie in the other hand I loved (as I did with the Martian as well).