Fastest Screening & Opening Day Morning Session, Double Feature Back-to-Back!! "Project Hail Mary" Movie Review
The universe was warm.
Lord & Miller are the Lennon & McCartney of the film world!! With the addition of the incredible Gosling, a Beatles-level chemical reaction was taking place.
Losers and cowards who always run from failure end up saving the world. When you have something precious, you can become brave. What left an impression on me regarding the film adaptation was the act of being helped by others. I felt that point was brought to the forefront and emphasized more than in the original novel. It starts with Stratt (the whole government) and Karl. Yes, you don't have to reach the answer or solve everything all by yourself.
This is the magic of cinema! It's my favorite tone and style. I wonder why I didn't notice such an important thing during the first viewing (the fastest screening)?... I'm surprised at myself. I can say I love it not from theory (my head), but from my feelings (the bottom of my heart). Whether in the novel or the movie, it provided a special experience through a different approach (though the core remains the same). I didn't quite sob, but I teared up at the end. Yes!
Earth's juggling ball turns into lava = future or apocalypse? The "I HAD POTENTIAL" T-shirt Grace wears in the selfie video letter scene where he talks about everything that happened after Rocky boarded the ship. It's clever to use an item like that to depict the protagonist who gave up on his initial dreams.
The narrative style is elegant, humorous, and poetic. I was surprised, surprised, and surprised by this grand sci-fi buddy dramedy that boldly stripped away the scientific processes found in the novel. I think it's amazing how they skillfully condensed the core parts and numerous elements of the original work. They rebuilt what could have been a bland story with good pacing, and it came together beautifully as a Hollywood-style three-act play. Detecting movement in the eyes. Also, the bookend method of sandwiching.
In that process, there are, of course, changes from the original. For example, while the original suggests that Rocky showing his eating scene to others is not something one would do (e.g., like defecating?), in the movie, it was funny how he called Grace's way of eating dirty and confidently showed off his own way of eating as elegant. ...So, it might have Americanized (Hollywoodized) Eridian culture, and at times that could become opportunistic, but this film seemed to have both efficiency and a human-like warmth coexisting.
Lord & Miller are the Lennon & McCartney of the film world!! Especially for this work, I thought they were the perfect fit the moment I read the original, but the impression I got from actually watching it was, in a sense, beyond my imagination. In other words, it's a work with buddy-movie bromance elements that they excel at, unchanged since "21 Jump Street" (and "The Lego Movie"), and by weaving comedy and drama in an exquisite balance, you end up feeling moved before you know it, even though you were laughing so hard just a moment ago... that is the universal "magic of cinema" permitted only to truly excellent storytellers.
With the addition of the incredible Gosling, a Beatles-level chemical reaction was taking place. While it's guaranteed that their skills are solid and the direction is wonderful, if it weren't for the lead actor's performance, this film would have been a cringey and painful time to watch. However, Gosling's overwhelming comedic sense (his comedian-like nature) and his charisma, which allows him to move freely (smoothly) between heart-wrenching dramatic acting without any "walls," became the engine that kept this film warm and constantly moving. Therefore, the audience never gets bored and stays glued to the screen.
Beautiful cinematography that makes you stare, fall in love, and get intoxicated. The angled camerawork seemed to express that not only the universe, but also the world, things, and even one's own (sometimes harsh) perspective can be viewed from a different angle. As if to say, doubt your assumptions, common sense, and stereotypes. Right is left, no is yes, and the "upside-down" nature of the loneliness and bravery of a single person. Even though it's a suicide mission for loners, "we'll meet again." The song choices like "Sign of the Times" and "Two of Us" are also perfect.
What is the speed of light? Could Sandra Hüller, who plays Stratt—who should be an intense character and arguably the third protagonist in this film—be the cutest she has ever been in her history? The conflict in the original that draws you in by questioning the justice and justification of the emergency situation was replaced by a gentler form of trust and solidarity (a kind of war buddy) friendship with Grace.
The change in aspect ratio between the space (present) part and the Earth (past) part seemed to express the vastness of space while simultaneously highlighting the loneliness, and the Earth part felt like a memory being recalled because of the masks on the top and bottom. What is the speed of light?
Grace Rocky save stars.
Fist my bump. Jazz hands.
P.S. I watched it at the fastest IMAX screening, went home on the first train, took a nap, and then watched it again at another theater in the morning (or rather, before noon) in IMAX. How much do I love this? But I really thought it was good to watch this film twice. Now, I even think it might have been my destiny from the beginning.
[Fastest Screening]
As unavoidable as gravity, a complete Gosling theater that attracts the audience without exception! The series of scenes from the beginning, where Grace wakes up as in the original and explores the ship without knowing what's going on, was fascinating.
However, from there until he meets Rocky, it rushed by at light speed as if it were propelled by Astrophage, and I wondered how much of the content people who haven't read the original would understand by watching this. In this film, the scientific catharsis that was the charm of the original—"Problem -> Hypothesis -> Verification -> Failure -> Re-hypothesis"—is almost zero, and only the results are presented. The process is missing, and there is an undeniable feeling of a compilation.
Instead, as a cinematic approach that needs to create empathy in a limited time compared to the novel, it is necessary to add unnecessary parts. With the flavor of Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, where seemingly trivial elements become emotional, the overall impression is somewhat light (but warm = lighthearted). While the original stimulates intellectual curiosity, this film adaptation feels like a translation for children.
The universe is vast. Not limited to this work, choices are inevitable in adaptations based on original works. Unlike Andy Weir's "The Martian," which had one protagonist, this work has elements of friendship through interaction with an alien, which is enough to make a movie on its own. I was drawn in by the visual beauty that didn't use green screens. The space scenes, such as the extravehicular activities, were masterpieces!!
In the novel, the scientific process rolls the story forward, and within that, the conflicts and friendships of the characters grow, but the bold decision to cut the scientific aspects for this film adaptation and instead focus entirely on friendship is very rational as a movie. However, as someone who was thrilled by those scientific aspects, I was honestly a little disappointed.
The messy hair styling with the back of his head standing up like bedhead well represented Grace's character. On the other hand, I was bothered by the fact that there were several times when Rocky asked questions normally, other than "that" Rocky syntax that everyone wants to imitate, "[Something], question?"
Even though Stratt is the perfect casting of Sandra Hüller, the movie version of the character was thin, and the intense charisma of the original, where you don't know if she's a dictator or a savior, didn't come out. Rather, it was bland. Also, it's better not to show what happens to Earth afterward.
P.S. I was annoyed by the relatively large person in the seat next to me who absolutely wouldn't move when people were coming and going, and was tapping their fingers and making noise during the main feature.
