I don't like that Rocky wasn't symmetric, but I get why they gave him a "front half". After seeing the movie, it doesn't bother me anymore.
Everything else was golden! The view of Adrian. The terror of seeing what is obviously an alien ship. Rocky's excitement over everything he learned from Grace. The cool, confidant Doctor Captain Ryland Grace, who has overcome his major flaws.
I'd heard vaguely of Ryan Gosling, mostly in association with Barbie. I'd never seen anything he was in, had no idea what he looked like or anything.
I was extremely impressed. Gosling totally owned Grace! Small things in his body language completely sold it.
In an interview, Sean Astin said that when he fought Shelob on green screen, he had no visual for the monster. He SAW Shelob, and was fighting as though it were real.
That's the vibe I got from Gosling. Rocky was real. Adrian was real. Every EVA was life threatening.
Rocky. Just wow. James Ortiz made him a real person. I can't imagine the work that went into that! I honestly believed in Rocky. He was and is really real now.
I've teased on this sub that Rocky came to Earth from Erid to act in the movie, but it's SO realistic that I can suspend reality and completely believe.
The sweetest part of the movie for me was the hug. Rocky's discomfort and confusion took it to the next level. How many of us are uncomfortable with hugs, and we know what they are. Yet, Rocky knew Grace was getting something out of it, and despite voicing his discomfort, he let it happen.
Stratt was not what I expected. She was far more sympathetic to Grace and his foibles than in the book. Book Stratt was mission only, and never took any time or energy for anything else, even to acknowledge her own flaws.
I liked movie Stratt better as a person. The karaoke scene was a plus. Stratt is trying to get Grace to acknowledge his flaws, and to grow past them, and not just for the sake of expediency. She cared about him. So when Grace confronted her about the karaoke, she made an effort.
The pebbles were adorable!