A Geeky Guy's Guide to Project Hail Mary
I absolutely love the movie The Martian. It is one of those movies that no matter what part of the movie I walk in on, I sit down and watch it to the end. There is so many different cycles of exposition, rising action and climax that it feels like ten movies in one. Like The Martian, Project Hail Mary is based on a book by author Andy Weir. Considering it is by the same author and about a similar topic, one man surviving in space, it had a high bar to measure up to. And did it ever!
My wife and I went to see Project Hail Mary by ourselves (no kids for once) in a Dolby theater. We are so happy that we did. Not only were the visuals and sound simply incredible, it felt so good to be on an adult date on a Saturday night like when we first met. And this movie deserved to be seen on the biggest screen possible so we are thrilled we did.
If I had known one simple detail, I think my expectations would have been even higher. It wasn't until the final credits that I found out that the movie was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. If you aren't sure who they are, these are the guys who directed 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and The Lego Movie. So it should have been no surprise there were some belly laughs in this awesome movie. It should also be no surprise that about half way through it becomes a kids movie... in the best way possible. It becomes cute and fun but not in a saccharine way. It was just flat out pleasant and entertaining. I spend nearly the entire movie smiling. These guys know how to make an entertaining movie.
Everything is awesome when you make a great movie!
Without spoiling anything not already shown in the previews, the movie centers around a scientist who goes on an earth saving mission to figure out why our sun is dying. My wife, who read both this book and the Maritain, had very high praise for the film. in fact, she said it was better than the book. One of the reasons is that Lord and Miller decided to tell the story in a non-linear way. Instead of it being all set up for the mission and then the mission, they bounce back and forth. This means that you never get bored with either part of the story. It was masterfully done.
Quite often when I see a movie base don a book, it feels "off". The majority of the time, I feel like something is missing. This is especially true when I have not read the book... which is quite often. This is not the case for Project Hail Mary. They crammed in a lot of story in the 150 minutes of runtime. Although I am sure they sped up some details and most likely left something out, I never felt like anything was missing. More importantly, I was so engaged in every second of the film that I never got up to go to the bathroom once. That is VERY rare for me in a two and one half hour movie. So that is the highest praise I can give.
Just like Matt Damon in the Martian, Ryan Gosling is able to carry the movie in a significant number of one-man scenes. He's charming and, as we learned in the Barbie Movie, very funny. He pulls off the school teacher turned "hero" incredibly well. You root for him.... and all of humanity the entire time.
OK I do have to say something about the "science". I am not a scientist. Heck I'm not even a middle school science teacher but even I know some of the science things in this movie must be impossible. But that is OK. Any movie about taking a science teacher on a trip to another galaxy to save the sun requires a significant amount of suspension of disbelief. Because this movie was so well done and so entertaining, it earned that suspension of disbelief. So if you are looking for an episode of Cosmos thsi is not the movie for you. But if you are looking to have fun and enjoy an awesome popcorn movie, go see this on the big screen ASAP!
Thanks for this great review that was free of spoilers. I appreciate that as I am still trying to find a cheap copy of the book. Also glad to hear that it is as good as the book if not better. Oddly enough, I just finished reading Artemis by Weir and it's actually impressive the amount of detail he puts in the book. In fact, there is a section at the back where he digs into the whole economy of the scenario he presented. It's feels a lot like Crichton and makes me think a lot of the stuff might not be as far fetched as we think.
Although I didn't give away any major spoilers, it's clear that "Project Hail Mary" is an excellent film, my friend. It definitely deserves a spot on your watchlist, not to watch it right now, but later, after you've finished your daily routine.
Date after marriage... It definitely is a rare occasion, my heartiest congratulations on getting that 🙂
I have watched the trailer of Project Hail Mary and it is on my watch list but not at top. Aftert reading your review it has gotten the first place and going to watch in my first leisure, dedicated to entertainment.
You mentioned the reason for your highest praise and for me the highest reason is your wife's comment, "It is better than the book", If so then it is somethng to watch, I'll try to watch it on the big screen.
Loved the review, short but to the point.
Of course, it's an excellent piece of work. If they manage to compress all the stories and themes in the book into 150 minutes, great job by the director and screenwriters. We also trust their expertise when recommending a film, series, or documentary for our entertainment.
Science is rarely respected on movies but it's ok, it's a movie not a documentary... I heard well of this movie, lot of people liked it
If the film captivated you, my friend, if you enjoyed it for the full two and a half hours, then the story of the professor who travels to outer space must have been incredibly interesting. As always, I'm grateful for your trust in your film knowledge to help us choose the best ones.
The comparison to The Martian is effective because it sets a clear benchmark, and pointing out that this film meets or even exceeds those expectations adds weight to the recommendation. The mention of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s influence is another strong point it explains the humor and tone shift in a way that makes sense.
There is an epic space film about saving the sun from 2007, entitled Sunshine. Which may have inspired Project Hail Mary. If you loved The Martian and PHM you should try Sunshine (2007). There are few films like it. Best (and worst?) marketing tagline for these films: "Its daylight savings time"!
Oh yeah! Sunshine is very underrated! Loved that movie.
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STOPSounds like an amazing movie experience, especially getting that rare date night together. Glad it lived up to the hype.
Hell yeah lego rockets!!!!!!