Project Hail Mary Review: A Science Fiction Movie All about Friendship

A lot of science fiction movies include action scenes and explosions, but Project Hail Mary is actually very different from most of them. The movie obviously has exciting moments, but what makes it stand out from other movies is the characters and how they work through problems. Even though some parts felt a little confusing and there were too many scientific explanations, I still think it was a very interesting movie and I would definitely recommend it.

The movie is about Ryland Grace, a former science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship. At first he doesn’t remember who he is, which sounds kind of confusing, but it actually makes the beginning more interesting. Through flashbacks, we see as his memories slowly come back, and he learns that Earth is in danger because of a strange organism that is affecting the Sun. He has been sent on a mission far away from Earth to try and find a solution before it is too late.

Something that I liked was that Grace didn’t act like one of those perfect movie heroes. He gets scared easily, makes mistakes, and doesn’t even know what to do sometimes. That made him feel more realistic, and it was easier to relate to him. The movie also shows how lonely being alone in space would be. Some scenes just show him trying to figure things out by himself, which sounds boring when I describe it, but somehow it wasn’t.

The best part of the movie for me was Rocky, a creature whose planet is also dying due to the strange organism affecting the sun. When Rocky is introduced, the movie becomes way more compelling. At first, Grace and Rocky can’t really communicate very well due to language differences, and watching them slowly understand each other was really heartwarming to watch. Their friendship felt genuine and you could really understand how much they relied on each other. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie showed them trying to explain things to each other, but other scenes showed emotional moments between them that made me cry.

However, the movie is not perfect. There are a few places where the scientific explanations go on for a little longer than they probably need to. I understand why they are important because solving the scientific problem is the goal of the story, but some scenes slowed the movie down. The middle section especially got long at times and was a little boring.

Still, I think the strengths prove to be more than the weaknesses. The movie has suspense, emotion, and characters that I actually cared about by the end. It is also one of those movies where you want to know what happens next almost the whole time. Project Hail Mary is not just a movie about space, it is also about teamwork and trust. Because of that, I would definitely recommend it to people who like science fiction, and even some people who normally don’t.