7/7 🪩 🪩 🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩
Project Hail Mary was such a pleasure to watch. Having read most of the book before seeing the film, I was really curious to see how the version in my head would compare to what ended up on screen. Overall, I think the movie absolutely did the book justice. I would still love to see the four-hour director’s cut that was mentioned online after the movie’s release, because the Earth flashbacks were definitely scaled back compared to the book, but what made it into the final film was amazing.
Having the same cinematographer as the Dune films definitely helped. Visually, the movie was stunning, especially in IMAX. I had been looking forward to this movie for a long time (since I saw the panel at Comic-Con San Diego), especially to see how they would visualize space. The design of the alien ship was even cooler than I imagined, and the planet itself was incredibly beautiful. Without spoiling the ending, I’ll just say the final part of the film had some fun surprises that made me smile and appreciate Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s interpretation even more. The score was a little forgettable, though not bad by any means, just not especially memorable.
Ryan Gosling was a delight. His interpretation of the character was so fun, and he made me smile and laugh more times than I could count. I already can’t wait to watch it again just to see his charm play out on screen one more time (or several). Rocky, voiced by James Ortiz, was an awesome co-star. Sandra Hüller was excellent as Eva Stratt, bringing a perfect mix of cold authority, fierceness, humor, and surprising layers.
Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi films of the decade, and maybe even the century. Time will tell. Either way, it’s a must-see in theaters. Go check it out!
Emotion: 7/7
Editing & Story: 7/7
Visuals: 7/7
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