Hey, it's me your random movie reviewer... today I'm bring you my thoughts on Project Hail Mary.
I wanted to like it. I really did. Actually, I think I did like it. That's my problem. I liked it. I didn't love it.
I loved The Martian, the first movie based on Andy Wier's first book. It's one of those movies J and I just watch when we feel like watching a good movie. I could watch it again tomorrow and enjoy it.
I just did not love Project Hail Mary.
Visually, it's stunning and it is reasonable true to the book, but I think that might be the problem. The movie suffers from trying to be too true to the book in places while skipping the heavy science-y parts. Unfortunately Andy Wier stories hinge entirely on the heavy science-y parts. That's even more true for Project Hail when we're dealing with fictional science.
Fundamentally, I think Project Hail Mary fails to build it's world.
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The story centers on the idea of the astrophage... an alien microscopic life form that literally eats stars. It consumes solar energy, slowly causing stars to dim. Earth's sun has been infected with the astrophage, and all life on Earth is endangered as the sun slowly fades. A desperate mission - Project Hail Mary - is launched to the one nearby star that seems unaffected by the astrophage.
Unfortunately, for me, the movie completely fails to establish the "rules" of astrophage... how it works and how and why it is ultimately used as fuel for the Hail Mary mission. These details are critical to understanding the story.
The movie also fails completely to establish any dramatic tension regarding the threat of astrophage and the potential end of all life on Earth. We can a short scene with the main character downplaying the danger to a bunch of grade school kids, and several calm, measured and dispassionate statements by Eva Strat, the leader of the project. Don't mistake me, I believe actress Sandra Hüller plays Strat perfectly. Her character is calm, controlled and driven... but no one else, at least no one over the age of 12, expresses any urgency about the impending death of the sun. I feel like we needed to see someone freaking out, shocked or afraid. Everyone is just too calm about the end of life as we know it.
So, that's why the movie doesn't work for me. It fails to establish it's world or drive home the stakes in the kind of visceral way that movies need to.
That said, I think Ryan Gosling did a great job as Ryland Grace, the reluctant heroic nerd. Rocky looks fantastic. Kudos to the movie's crew for using practical effects for him.
The interactions between Grace and Rocky are funny, insightful and touching in turns. You really feel the friendship they form. It's the saving grace (unintended pun) of the movie.
So, yeah, I liked it but I didn't love it.
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