Opinion: “Project Hail Mary” is a stellar spectacle

Plank Article Logan McManus ’28

“Project Hail Mary” is the best science fiction movie I have ever seen. When I first started watching the film, I expected a typical space movie with action and special effects, but it turned out to be much deeper and more interesting than that. 

The story centers around a dangerous space mission to stop a mysterious organism that is draining energy from the sun, putting all life on Earth at risk. This high-stakes problem creates a lot of suspense and keeps the audience interested the whole time.

The movie follows Dr. Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he is there. At first, he is confused and scared because he does not understand what is happening. As his memory slowly starts to return,  he learns that he has been sent on a mission to save Earth from a dangerous alien lifeform that is eating the sun, threatening to end all life on Earth. 

This mystery made the movie exciting because I was learning what was happening at the same time as the main character. Each time he remembered something new, it revealed more about the mission and made me want to keep watching.

Another reason I thought “Project Hail Mary” was really good is because of its use of science. There were a lot of scientific ideas and experiments throughout the movie, but they were explained in a way that was easy to understand. Instead of confusing the audience with big scientific words and phrases, the science made the movie more interesting and helped build suspense. It also made the mission feel more realistic, which made me care more about whether Ryland Grace would succeed. I liked how the movie showed problem-solving and creativity, instead of just focusing on action.

Another thing I really liked about the movie was the character development. Ryland Grace is introduced as confused, scared, and unsure of himself. However, as the story progresses, he becomes more confident and brave and realises that in order to help Earth, he has to be brave. Watching him grow as a character made the movie more emotional and meaningful. I found myself rooting for him and hoping he would fulfill his goal at the end.

The movie also had a good balance of serious and funny moments. Even though the mission is very important and stressful, there were still moments of humor that made the movie more enjoyable and took the stress off a little. These funny scenes helped break up the tension, which made the characters Rocky, an alien rock spider that Grace finds in space, and Grace feel more relatable. This balance helped keep the movie interesting and prevented it from feeling too serious or slow.

The visuals of the movie really stood out to me. The space scenes looked very realistic and impressive. The spaceship, stars, and different environments helped make it feel like I was traveling through space with the main character. The visuals helped bring the story to life and made the movie even more engaging.

Overall, “Project Hail Mary” was a really good movie that kept me interested from beginning to end. It had suspense, humor, strong characters, and an exciting storyline. I especially liked how the movie made science interesting and showed the importance of problem-solving, teamwork, and believing in yourself. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys science fiction or just wants to watch something exciting and different. “Project Hail Mary” is a movie that explores the idea of bravery and perseverance. Even when Grace wanted to give up and accept defeat, he pushed forward for his friend Rocky and all living things on Earth.