Project Hail Mary

[Secular Sanity]

This doesn't come out for awhile but it looks awesome.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/m08TxIsFTRI

[Magical Realist]

That looks good! Tks SS!

[C C]

Having long since forgotten the trailer, I was thinking comedy in the course of the first fifteen minutes or so, but "family film" is really the correct category. Sort of like Interstellar and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial rolled into one. Even Drinker couldn't knock it. The Grace and Rocky show. (Could probably even add "Rocky" the movie to those other two, in terms of the inspirational triumph.)
- - - - - - - - - -

VIDEO INTRO: It's no secret that the list of movies I'm genuinely excited for in 2026 is thinner than your average Hollywood actress since the discovery of Ozempic. But one of the standouts for me was "Project Hail Mary", a science fiction adventure based on an excellent novel of the same name.

It had, in theory at least, all the elements I've been craving from Hollywood in recent years. [...] A complex narrative that delves into a bit of hard science that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. And all built around a heartwarming story of friendship and loyalty that transcends language, culture, and even species in this case.

The only question was whether co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be able to do it justice. And the answer, thank God, is yes.

"Project Hail Mary" is one of those rare beasts these days that manages to strike the perfect balance in pretty much every respect. A big budget blockbuster that's more just a bunch of dumb characters in big green rooms saying lines designed for trailers, allowing the story to unfold at its own pace without rushing or getting bogged down.

Delivering some decent action set pieces without using them as a crutch. Working in a bit of levity without devolving into parody, emphasizing the importance of logic, rationality, and science to overcome problems, and most importantly, never losing sight of the very human story at its core.

In short, it's a really goddamn good movie that actually made me feel positive and optimistic by the time the credits rolled. And to explain why, allow me to furnish you with a non-spoilery plot synopsis...

The Drinker recommends... "Project Hail Mary" ... https://youtu.be/rWUOAfFzgpY

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/rWUOAfFzgpY

[Magical Realist]

Sort of like Interstellar and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial rolled into one.

LOL Then no. I can't do another cutesy buddy alien movie, even after all these years after sitting in a theater gawking at that mewling little ET puppet. Even Yoda reminded me of a Muppet--voice and all. Then there was Jar Jar Binks who I heard later committed suicide. I've been scarred for life by this trope.

[C C]

Sort of like Interstellar and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial rolled into one.

LOL Then no. I can't do another cutsy buddy alien movie, even after all these years after sitting in a theater gawking at that mewling little ET puppet. Even Yoda reminded me of a Muppet--voice and all. Then there was Jar Jar Binks who I heard later committed suicide. I've been scarred for life.

He's not cute and fuzzy -- as the name indicates, he's literally "rocky" (not even a face). And no kids in it, apart from brief scenes of Gosling as a science teacher back on Earth.

[Yazata]

Project Hail Mary just appeared for free on Prime Video so I watched it.

Good movie! The beginning was confusing with its hero Grace waking up from some kind of cryo sleep on a spaceship in the middle of nowhere 11 light years from Earth. He has no idea who he is, where he is or why. And it slowly comes back in flashbacks. He and two others (who didn't survive the cryo sleep) were sent to save the Earth from an alien microorganism that's consuming the Sun and all the other nearby stars. He meets an alien who is there on a similar mission who is also the only survivor of his/her/its crew. Although the alien isn't humanoid, Grace ends up forming a close emotional bond with it. They learn to communicate (that part is a little fake), have adventures and eventually learn how to save both of their planets.

If you have Prime, watch the movie. It really is good. When you realize that most of the movie (apart from the flashbacks) is just a single actor interacting with a puppet, it's a great performance.