Project Hail Mary

2026 · 05 · 10

Spoilers for Project Hail Mary.

So I saw this movie in theatres with one of my friends, and I think it’s genuinely a good movie. Objectively speaking, the movie is well made. It was entertaining, the characters were enjoyable, I had fun. I liked it, even. But there’s something that bothers me about this movie, and I’m not even sure if I know what it is.

the bias

I’m already pretty biased against Andy Weir because he likes Star Trek Wrong ngl. Thats just my opinion ofc, might not be worth much but here’s the quote:

“I deeply dislike social commentary. For instance, as a lifelong Star Trek fan, it’s always bothered me that there is a presumed ‘responsibility’ within Star Trek shows to talk about social issues. I just want to watch Romulans and the Federation shoot at each other.” — Andy Weir interview

Makes me mad just thinking about it. Anyway.

This guy claims to hate social commentary and avoids putting it in his books. And then goes on to write the most blatant allegory for global warming I’ve ever seen. You just can’t make a piece of art without it being somewhat political, just by it being made by a human on the planet Earth. But whatever, people write without the intention of sending a message all the time, if mr Weir wants to write nothingburger entertainment then by god thats his prerogative.

the book vs. the movie

Anyway I haven’t even read the book so there isn’t much I can actually say on it. The book is the book. I saw the movie.

I keep seeing people praise this movie and I just can’t help but be a hater. I want to love this movie though. Nobody’s wrong for liking it, I’m pretty sure I like it all things considered, it’s a genuinely fun movie. Grace and Rocky are cute, objectively speaking. But I think the movie had the opportunity to say genuinely anything and it just didn’t.

what doesn’t translate

One of my bigger issues is how they never once addressed Grace’s hypocrisy. Near the end of the movie (but not near enough lol — the movie has like 5 resolution points and drags on near the end) it’s revealed that Grace was forced to leave against his will. The structure was probably better in the book where you have prose to lean on; specifically the things I missed in the adaptation:

• knowing what characters are thinking (a thing prose does and film basically can’t)
• watching a competent person figure things out, which is one of the joys of sci-fi
• Grace’s actual interiority around the cowardice

None of this translates, of course. They wanted it to be accurate to the book, so accuracy > adaptation, whatever. Grace spends the whole movie trying to figure out how he got into space and the big twist is that he was a coward who never came willingly, and that he had to be forced to go on the mission to save the earth.

grace’s arc

I think the movie thinks Grace has a character arc, which is just that he learns to be brave. Which is like, fine in theory I suppose. The arc they wrote is terribly boring though. Grace spends the entire movie being thrust with the easiest dilemma’s for any person.

Should you board the Hail Mary, knowing it could save the Earth?

Stratt decides to tie him to the tracks anyway for the greater good. Grace says no, and never takes that back really. But it bugs me so much that he specifically would say no, because I just don’t buy it. I don’t buy that a school teacher who genuinely has no one in his life but his students and colleagues, would choose his own life over the future lives of all his students.

In the book, but not the movie, Grace claims that Stratt is murdering him by sending him into space against his will. I don’t think he’s wrong, but isn’t he sentencing his students to death by staying? I don’t know if the book ever makes note of this, I think it does, but I know the movie does not. I just don’t buy that a man who pivoted his entire career from serious scientific discussion to children’s education would be so willing to abandon the kids he claims to care about.

Isn’t that the whole thing about global warming anyway? That no one is willing to change themselves for the greater good they should be invested in?

the verdict

Idk. Maybe I’m just mad at Andy Weir for liking Star Trek wrong lol.

I give this movie a 4/5. Really good. Wish it was better.