As a fan of hard science fiction (this is starting to sound a lot like “as a christian” but just go along with me), I have to say that I am not liking Project Hail Mary vibes. Before we go any further, I guess I should tell you what’s it all about. Project Hail Mary is an upcoming science fiction movie starring Ryan Gosling about an astronaut waking up with amnesia on a giant space station. It’s based on Andy Wier’s 2021 novel that I have not read. So, right off the bat, we have a morally tricky situation. I will be talking about a movie I have not seen, based on a novel I have not read. The only thing I have to go on is the trailer, which was fucking atrocious. At least from my perspective. Allow me to elaborate.
I am a cynical fuck dying for a good, serious, hard science fiction movie. And I am immensely frustrated with all these new features that look like comic book adaptations made for the general population. I know I am being too hard on this particular movie, Project Hail Mary, but I want to know if anyone else feels like I do? You could call me an old-school hard science fiction fan (the holy trinity of Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein), but I do keep up with trends. For example, Daniel Suarez’s Daemon is one of my top novels ever. And we probably won’t see it on screen any time soon, exactly because it’s so subversive despite its obvious action movie feel.
To get back to the issue at hand, the first thing that hit me was the most overused cliché in science fiction. The whole “waking up on a spaceship with amnesia” is undoubtedly a powerful concept. However, I’ve seen so many movies that start this way and that way and, at this point, I don’t know what to think about it. To get back to the it gets worse part, this is just a part of the full story that the trailer will practically reveal to you in full detail. No mystery, no tension, no nothing. So, yup, this is one of those big commercial movies I know I’m not going to like. In case you want to avoid spoilers, I suggest you check out now, but if you’re intrigued, please, do carry on.
After all, Project Hail Mary is based on a novel by Andy Wier, the same guy behind The Martian. So, if you read the novel, you kind of already know the story. Now, I liked that adaptation as it presented a perfect balance between “commercial influence”, storytelling, science, and just general movie appeal. None of that is present here. At least not in the trailer. The cliches continue with the age-old “our solar system is at the brink of extinction and we must venture forth to save it” thing. This is what our oblivious astronaut eventually finds out. He also finds a friend in a cute rocky alien.
At this point, what was a promising short concept I read about this movie turned into a full eye-roll. Additionally, at this point, the trailer for Project Hail Mary I started watching is sitting at 1.54. I mean, I am going to finish it, it’s just that I needed to vent a little about my dashed dreams of a proper hard science fiction movie adaptation. The first sign in the trailer was the scene where Ryan Gosling started dancing with this rock creature. It reminded me of Villeneuve’s Arrival and further repulsed me. The whole vibe of the movie is this commercial Marvel-light space adventure with cute rock creatures and Ryan saving humanity.
The visuals look pretty good, which is not surprising considering the fact that the cinematographer is Greg Fraser (Rogue One, Dune, The Batman). Considering everything and my love of the genre, I am almost certain I will check out Project Hail Mary at some point. I mean, I watched far, far worse movies, like The Electric State. I guess when I heard about the concept, I got excited that we’re going to get something like Life or Sunshine. At least I have Villeneuve’s Rendezvous with Rama, coming in ten years, to keep me upbeat.
So, just don’t read the novel and just don’t watch the movie, what’s the problem here, you might say. There’s no problem, I might reply, it’s just that I was hoping for something quite different. Especially with the runtime of almost three fucking hours. Most of all, I just want to see if I am alone in this feeling I have. The comment section is open, and I am anxious to hear from you!
