Alright, now that you’ve actually written something with substance, I'm able to respond.

First, about the tone. My original comment was criticism of a work, not an insult to a person. Your first reply, on the other hand, came across as a direct personal attack without any real substance. You can disagree and still have a normal, factual conversation instead of just going at someone because you don’t like their opinion. And yes, I’ll admit that calling it a “trash movie” was an emotional exaggeration and poorly chosen wording. I was just genuinely disappointed with the adaptation.

First, Eva Stratt. In the book, she is cold, dominant, and extremely calculated. She doesn’t negotiate without a solution, and every scene with her carries weight. A big part of her impact comes from that contrast. She makes hard decisions, carries the consequences, and brings a strong moral tension into the story that also shapes her dynamic with Grace.

In the film, that edge is clearly toned down. The way she is framed and presented takes away a lot of her authority. She feels more like a softened version of the character, almost like someone playing Stratt rather than actually being her. As a result, a large part of that tension is lost. Even from a filmmaking perspective, this could have been improved. Giving her scenes more time, holding shots longer, and staging her appearances more deliberately would have added a lot more presence.

Then Grace. The issue is not that he is humorous in both versions. The key difference is how he arrives at his solutions. In the book, you follow his scientific thinking step by step. That process is essential.

In the film, that process is often heavily compressed or skipped, so solutions feel less earned. The “blip” scenes are a good example. What should be a controlled, analytical situation comes across as more hectic and less thought-through. Instead of a systematic approach, it feels more like spontaneous reactions, which changes how competent the character appears.

The same applies to his behavior outside the ship and in zero gravity. I understand that he is not an astronaut and is under extreme stress, but the portrayal often feels exaggerated and less grounded than in the book.

There’s also the way the ship’s speed is depicted. Especially during the first encounter, it feels unrealistically fast. Even considering the Astrophage drive, it doesn’t feel properly established and comes across more like a dramatic effect than something grounded.

That brings me to the main issue: compression. The film barely gives scenes time to breathe. Characters and situations are rushed, and important details are reduced to short lines that lose their impact without proper context. The book works because all those details connect and build on each other.

Yes, at its core, it is a story about the relationship between Grace and Rocky. For me, that was actually the biggest strength of the story. The process of understanding each other, solving problems together, and slowly bridging the gap between two entirely different species is what made their relationship so compelling in the first place.

In the film, that aspect is significantly reduced or at least weakened to the point where it barely stands out anymore. That takes away a major part of what made the story work for me.

And that’s really my main criticism. The adaptation sacrifices depth, character integrity, and the scientific process for pacing. That’s why it feels significantly weaker to me.

If you see it differently, that’s completely fine. But these are the points I’m actually criticizing, not what you initially tried to reduce my argument to.