Movie Review: Project Hail Mary
It’s been a while since I wrote a movie review, because it’s been a while since I last saw a movie in a theater. This weekend, The Captain and I took out a small loan from my cousin Vinny and committed to a light dinner at the local Mexican Restaurant, a bag of popcorn with two sodas, and two tickets to see the most recent sci-fi offering from Hollywood. ($56, $28 and $43 respectively.) I will offer a disclaimer on the total price tag, however, as we opted for upgrades…a sit-down restaurant (but no adult beverages), the medium sodas and medium bag of corn, and we opted for the IMAX seating.
We didn’t have the prefered “dead center” seats, but it turned out okay.
So, with all the caveats present and accounted for, let’s get into the film review part.
Running a beefy 156 minutes, Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name. The Plot is classic man vs. nature, tracking the impending demise of the stars in our part of the galaxy and the attempt to fix it. The hero of the film is under-appreciated scientist turned school teacher Dr. Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, who finds himself alone on an interstellar search for a solution to the star eating “astrophage.” The are a number of other supporting characters in the flash-back sequences, but the other main character, voiced by James Ortiz, is an alien who looks like a stack of animated sandstone boulders nicknamed “Rocky.” Dr. Grace and Rocky encounter each other at the one star within reach that isn’t getting devoured by the astrophage and then work together to find a solution.
So what’s not to like? It isn’t a lame sequel. Hurray! The computer generated images are done tastefully and aren’t intrusive, including the entirely CGI character Rocky. Great! The casting is age appropriate and nobody sticks out like a sore thumb. Cool! All of that is to say, there is nothing to break the “willing suspension of disbelief,” the number one thing that has to happen if a movie is going to make the grade.
All in all, it was entertaining. Project Hail Mary is a stand-out in the recent history of film making. It didn’t feel like a waste of time or money. I didn’t come away wishing I’d waited to see it at home. So, if you are in the mood for a movie, this one is worth the price of admission. Given the cosmic size of the setting, I suggest the IMAX theater if you have one, but since it has a long runtime, go with the small sodas.