I was about as good an adaptation of a detailed science novel (which I have not read) as you can get with a screenplay. The effects work well, though some of the artistic visuals don't land for me. And it's the lead character derping around all alone, trying to make science amusing for a visual (by which I mean, not literary) medium. The alien was extremely tolerable, considering I don't like aliens or cutesy characters who are not human. It balances pathos and more serious emotions with the humorous purposes to which the story puts it.

You can really tell that they glossed over a LOT of stuff, and questions pop up about the timeline if you aren't paying close attention that make you question the stakes at various points, but it's basically Oscar fare compared to what is on the screens these days.