Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!
Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!
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I have faith that Project Hail Mary is a turning point in the film industry and has the potential to bring a new wave of family friendly, creative, and unique storytelling back to theaters.
Before watching the movie, I made the decision to read the book first. Project Hail Mary was the first book I've read in a long time and not only did I become obsessed with it but it also helped reignite my passion for reading.
What makes Project Hail Mary so great is that not only is it an interesting science fiction story but that it dives into the humanity of the story. So often characters are portrayed as good or bad and actions are right or wrong but Project Hail Mary adds depth to every character. It highlights the push and pull between the personal survival and the survival of the collective in a diplomatic and compassionate way. Not only is it about the resilience of human nature but how our bonds with others affect our decision making and priorities. The balance between self sacrifice for the greater collective and personal survival is the real highlight of the story. The deliberate use of color and symbolism becomes especially clear, reinforcing Ryland Grace's emotional journey and the film's central themes of hope, bravery, and human connection.
Ryan Gosling's performance in the light hearted and comedic moments felt authentic to both the character and the book. The scene in which Rocky tells Grace he can save him was a highlight of the movie for me. However, there were some scenes in which I thought the acting fell a little flat. For example, when Rocky wakes up there was a surprising lack of emotion or energy in the reunion. Sandra Hüller's performance may have been my favorite overall. Her ability to add so much depth and understanding into a character that is so strong headed and stoic shows how well she knew her character and how much thought she put behind every micro expression.
The visuals in the movie, including lighting, color grading, camera work, set design, and costumes, were otherworldly. Get it? The warm lighting and colors in the space scenes were both unusual and beautiful. Typically space is portrayed as empty, cold, and lifeless, whereas earth is portrayed as full of life and warmth and while that may be factually correct, the decision to go against this norm was incredibly powerful. The constant warm glow and vibrant colors made the ship feel hopeful and safe whereas the earth scenes were portrayed as cold and void of life. The scenes outside of the ship, out in space were the most cinematic of all. The vibrant, intense colors reminded me how beautiful this world can be and further emphasized how lucky we are to be able to see. The fishing scene was definitely my favorite overall and one of, if not the most, beautiful scenes I've ever seen in a movie. The bright colors and flashing lights made it both chaotic and mesmerizing.
The color yellow in particular seemed to hold a lot of symbolism. Yellow has many meanings; it can mean optimism, sunshine, caution, and even cowardice. Throughout the movie the color yellow seems to follow Grace. The most obvious example of this would be Grace's yellow rain coat he wears throughout the film. Historically, raincoats were made yellow to maximize visibility in dark, stormy, or foggy weather making them easy to spot. Throughout the movie earth gets darker and colder looking, making Grace's raincoat look brighter and brighter. This visually represents his future as humanities only hope and redirects the audience's attention towards him. His yellow jacket also parallels the PHM uniforms the other astronauts wear, hinting to the audience that he was always the backup plan. Grace is also depicted in yellow to represent him being a coward. Calling someone "yellow" or "yellow-bellied" means they are cowardly, timid, or lack courage. His biggest moments of personal cowardice are painted in yellow, whereas his biggest moments of personal bravery are painted in red.
The yellow raincoat is not the only article of clothing that stood out to me however. The corny science shirts were a highlight of the movie for me. It kept the lighthearted spirit of the character alive and was a clever detail to add. The use of hats to show Grace's mental state and decisions consistently. In the very beginning of the movie when he is first contemplating his fate he puts on many articles of clothing, one of which is a beanie. This is used to show his depressed mental state and unwillingness to move forward. Another example of this is when Stratt asks him to be the one to go on the mission and tells him he has a couple hours to think on it he takes his hat off, symbolizing him considering it and represents an open mind. However, when he declines, saying that he won't go, he puts his hat on while saying "i've made up my mind" showing his mind is closed off. Despite this, in one of his first interactions with Rocky, he tells Grace to take off his helmet and despite hesitation, Grace agrees to take the risk and trust Rocky. This is the first real moment of connection and bravery for Grace and him taking off his helmet symbolizes his openness and vulnerability he's willing to show towards Rocky.
Another thing I noticed was the very specific use of green. We rarely see green in the movie at all until we get to Adrian. Green typically symbolizes health, nature, balance, and most importantly life. This very specific use of green emphasizes that the life on Adrian is the key to saving Earth and Erid. Because green is such an uncommon color within the movie aside from this, it makes this moment stand out and it's more memorable and impactful. The only other time that I noticed a lot of green in a scene was when Rocky tells Grace he can give him the astro phage he needs to go home. In this scene the green light from Adrain shines behind Rocky, again symbolizing life and balance.
Project Hail Mary's use of color and rainbows have many meanings. Most often, rainbows symbolize hope, inclusivity, diversity, and the promise of better times after hardship. In The Wizard of Oz a rainbow represents a bridge to hope, dreams, and an escape from mundane or difficult realities, paralleling Project Hail Mary's unlikely but hopeful mission to save mankind. The Wizard of Oz and Project Hail Mary have more in common than meets the eye. The use of bright colors and vibrant color grading aren't the only thing these movies have in common. Both stories feature an unlikely protagonist waking up in an unfamiliar environment and making friends with non-human companions and working together to survive. In The Wizard of Oz the cowardly lion embodies the journey to find courage, discovering it is not the absence of fear that makes one brave, but acting despite it. He consistently acts to protect his friends, proving he already possesses the bravery he seeks. Ryland Grace goes through a very similar experience, discovering bravery is not something you're born with but something achieved through personal connection. Grace learns to be brave because of his connection with Rocky and learns that in order to be brave you must find someone to be brave for. Choosing not to go home shows just how much Grace developed as a character and makes a powerful contrast between the ending of The Wizard of Oz and Project Hail Mary.
Rainbows and vibrant colors are also used to emphasize humans' reliance on sight and how lucky we are to have the ability to see. The moment between Grace and Rocky when Grace says “I wish you could see this” when he's staring at Adrian further proves this point and reminds the audience to be grateful for our sight.
Other things worth mentioning are the fantastic soundtrack and the use of music. Sign of the Times was the perfect song to choose, and while it was a little on the nose it fit the vibe perfectly and has left me as obsessed with that song as I am with the rest of the movie. The use of the choral soundtrack was a clever nod to the religious themes (hail mary full of grace) and the extraordinary, larger than life, mission he is on. The mix between upbeat, poppy music combined with the chorus also felt very in character and although it was unusual I thought it was done very tastefully and fit with the movie. The use of songs from all over the world in many different languages was a clever reminder that the whole world is at stake and everyone worked together to make Project Hail Mary happen. The moment of silence during the suffocation scene along with the strobing red lights was incredibly powerful and intense which I thought made the scene even more memorable. The silence we hear aside from Grace's breathing in this scene parallels when Grace and Rocky make first real contact in the tunnel, giving a heartbreaking reminder of how far they have come. The use of the song Two of Us by The Beatles when he chose to sacrifice himself to save Rocky was so powerful and not talked about enough. The character development is perfectly showcased with the use of this song and the line "We're on our way home" and is a testament to the power of connection. Choosing to not go "home" or back to earth is an incredibly moving callback to the line "find someone to be brave for".
The only thing I was disappointed about was how they framed Stratts character in the movie and the brushing over of the scientific details. In the book Stratt was headstrong but she also had the opportunity to acknowledge her own fate, saying she knew she would most likely spend the rest of her life in prison but that it didn't matter because saving humanity was more important. I thought this gave her character a lot more depth and was one of the most powerful scenes in the book. While the lack of scientific explanations throughout the film made sense for timing I found the details in the book to be some of my favorite parts of the story. I think touching on the coma resistance and the Taumoeba breeding would have provided a better understanding of the challenges they faced.
Aside from the minute discrepancies between the book and movie I thought this was a fantastic film adaptation and I appreciated how it stayed true to the book. I believe it has already secured a spot among some of the greatest science fiction films in recent history. There's so much more I could say about the genius of this story but I'll leave it at this: Project Hail Mary is an uplifting, inspiring story about humanity, survival, and unlikely friendship that will leave you feeling more hopeful than any other movie in the past decade.
In conclusion, Project Hail Mary is a very entertaining and rewatchable film and the genius of the story and how much thought and intention is behind every little detail is evident. Again, I would highly recommend both watching this movie and reading the book.
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