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This week, the intergalactic buzz is all about the new Sci-Fi hit coming to cinemas Project Hail Mary. The film released Friday, March 20th and is based on the 2021 novel by the same name. The author, Andy Weir also wrote The Martian. It follows the story of a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory; he slowly realizes he’s on a mission to save Earth from a solar threat. The main cast includes Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace as well as Sandra Hüller, Milana Vayntrub, and Ken Leung. It has a run time of 2 hours and 36 minutes, but is it worth 2 hours and 36 minutes of your time?? Let's find out.
Audience Opinions
Oftentimes, social media is where a film goes to die. We've seen the effects time and time again of a new releases being slandered on Twitter or TikTok. Despite the norm, film bros are surprisingly taking to the internet to praise Project Hail Mary and encourage more people to go see it. Most people agree that although on IMDB categorized it as a Drama, SciFy, Thriller – the film has a compelling story, with lovable characters. Some described Gosling's performance as the same old Ryan Gosling we know and love, but more of a goofy scientist rather than a badass this time. The consensus is that P.H.M, as a Sci-Fi epic, is lacking in expansion and atmosphere, but is a fantastic character story and has the potential to change the standard for modern sci-fi films. It has an ambiguous beginning, as we are building the world and putting the pieces back together with Ryland Grace. The film is also full of unpredictable twists, which is fresh for a space movie. Users have also noted that the film is much more audience-friendly than the book. Meaning, it has less emphasis on long scientific descriptions that can be taxing to some modern attention spans, but it should be noted that this film still appeals to any scientific nerd tendencies, just in a way that withstands a wide-ranging audience.
The greatest calling card, in my opinion, about this movie is that people across the internet are expressing how it "reminds them why they go to the movies." It's reminding many people that there's nothing like going on an emotional spaceship ride at the same time as 30 (maybe more like 25 in this economy) people you've never met in a cinema. People have reported laughing, crying, and being agog at beautiful visual effects and spacescapes. Any film that brings people to cinemas is a good film in my book, and I'm happy to see so many positive reviews from audience members!
Critics
If critics broke your heart at the Academy Awards earlier this week, they may win you back with their love for Project Hail Mary. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave this movie a 95%, which fewer than 1% of scored films reach! The Popcornometer (i.e the people's poll) scored a whopping 98%! This film is nothing if not well received! And how rare is it that we see critics and audience members align! One critic summed up the film's reaction perfectly, saying it is "a visually dazzling space odyssey, a miraculous fusion of smarts & art." It is predicted to ring in between $63-65 million at the box office this opening weekend (U.S. only). Not too shabby.
In the same way the film brings aliens and humans together, it has also brought critics and audience members together (still can't decide which is more difficult). Make sure to go see Project Hail Mary in theaters; it'll be out of this world (sorry, that was a cheap pun. I'll work on something better for next time).
