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Project Hail Mary

3.5 Stars out of 4



 

There was something magical about going to the movies when I was young. Part of it was the era I grew up in. I got to watch ET fly across the moon on a bike. Was terrified every time Darth Vader appeared on the screen in the Star War’s movies. This was way before Netflix and cell phones and streaming. Going to the movies was an event back then.

I sometimes get that sad sort of nostalgia that so much of that has now disappeared. Really big “event’ movies are mostly a thing of the past now.

Which is why Project Hail Mary is such a breath of fresh air. Grabbing my bucket of popcorn and heading to my seat, I felt that childlike anticipation once again.

It’s been a long time.


Having read the book first, I knew what kind of guy Ryan Gosling’s Grace was going to be. He’s the kind of guy that says “heck” instead of hell and “darn” instead of damn. In the book it kind of annoyed me, but on the screen his innocence translates better. He’s a very mild, risk-averse man, who just happens to be the only one who can save the world.


Yes, we have to watch him fumble around for a while before he meets Rocky. It sort of brings up the question people asked of Armageddon. Wouldn’t it be easier to train astronauts to be oil drillers than training oil drillers to be Astronauts? In this case, Grace is really not much of an Astronaut, and it’s almost painful to watch him keep slamming into walls.


When he finally does meet Rocky, he’s not too impressed by Grace’s Astronaut’s skills either. Despite the fact he supposedly only learns 250 words, he still manages to throw plenty of shade. Soon the two are bickering like an old married couple.

The movie manages to keep its sense of humor despite the enormous stakes involved. Both Grace and Rocky have to find a way to save their respective worlds. The book goes a lot more into the science of it all, but in a movie, you just get the broad strokes.


The two become the best of friends, which is ironic given Grace has no personal relationships to speak of back on Earth. The two both make incredible sacrifices for each other along the way. Rocky has a partner back home he wants to get back to. Neither one would have survived the journey without the other.


In early scenes, we see that teaching children seems to be Grace’s one, true happy place. The ending finds an ingenious way to let him continue to do that. It’s a feel good ending you’ll just have to see for yourself.


If you have kids, this is a fun movie to bring them too.


And just maybe they will feel that magic we got to feel as kids when we went to the movies.


I’m just happy to know that still exists.


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