Corey S Powell

Good art makes me long for great art. So I enjoyed "Project Hail Mary," but I couldn't help wishing for the great, science-inspired movie it could have been.

My review for American Scientist (warning: contains mild spoilers if you haven't seen the trailer).

https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/a-mission-to-rescue-earth #science #culture #projecthailmary

3:31amTusky
Show threadCorey S Powell14h ago
I hesitated to critique a movie that so many people find uplifting. But I do think there are important lessons in analyzing how Project Hail Mary portrays science & scientists.
Show threadCorey S Powell14h ago

Project Hail Mary celebrates curiosity and exploration; I really appreciate that. But it is fundamentally the tale of a solitary science hero who succeeds despite a useless (or worse) larger scientific community.

#projecthailmary #science

Show threadRicardo Harvin14h ago

@coreyspowell

Interesting how different your opinion is versus astrophysicist Dr. Becky Smethurst, who's been heaping praise on the movie, even though some of the science has been disproven since the book was published.

It seems she focused on how good the science is, overall, rather than the portrayal of those on Earth.

I understand how a negative portrayal of the scientific community in general can lessen enjoyment of the movie for many, especially now.

Show threadCorey S Powell13h ago

@ricardoharvin

I think a lot of people are understandably excited to see a popular movie built around a curious, problem-solving scientist hero. I felt that too!

My issue is that, to get there, the movie implies that the rest of the science world consists of fools and villains. That part left a sour taste.

Show threadRicardo Harvin11h ago

@coreyspowell

Yeah, I get how that can easily be a very negative aspect.

Show threadJosh G3h ago
@coreyspowell @ricardoharvin I just read your review. I can't disagree with it, and I like that you're holding it to a high standard. But... the review hurt! It was such an enjoyable movie. I think it stands above most other film's treatment of science and scientists, and it feels harsh for effectively calling out the existence of a hero here just because that hero happens to be a scientist. Many stories have heroes where in real life their efforts would be spread against a collaboration of people. I didn't feel that all the preparatory achievements were portrayed to be his character's anyway. It felt like a large collaboration behind the ship and the engine. And "villains" in this post I'm replying to felt a bit much, if it was for that one desperate action. Anyway, it was interesting reading your thoughts, thanks!
Show threadAstro Hawk (Ian Kluft) βœ…πŸš€πŸ›°οΈ13h ago
@coreyspowell I haven't seen the movie yet, but probably will this coming week. Your remarks seem to confirm my expectations are at the right level, looking for science-inspired entertainment. But it seems not the same level from Weir's "The Martian" where the character had to "science the πŸ’²βŒπŸ™ŠπŸ’₯ out of this". Though I even noticed some holes in The Martian (like never ever play with hydrazine) it was mostly the intense-but-plausible story he intended.
Show threadCorey S Powell13h ago

@AstroHawk

I loved The Martian, by the way. It had a true sense of community, which I found lacking here.

Show threadGeoff 🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿10h ago
@coreyspowell I got the impression (e.g. mention of Rocky's evolution tanks) that a lot more of the book was filmed, but then cut, presumably for time. We could be on for a far more detailed director's cut.
Show threadlouisa_ :)8h ago
@coreyspowell my one disappointment about the film was how much of the pre-launch science from the book was missed out. I appreciate there was a limit on what they could include but in the book, there really was a sense of all the world pulling together to make it happen, scientists from around the globe doing their small part within their specialised field. A shame that had to be dropped.
Show threadCorey S Powell4h ago
@louisa_ That would have made a much richer film, even if only alluded to in a line or two.
Show threadOlivia Vespera14h ago
@coreyspowell Glad to see all the coverage about it.
Show threadbutterscotch14h ago
@coreyspowell β€œWhat’s frustrating is that many of the elements are in place for Project Hail Mary to be the thoughtful meditation on curiosity and self-preservation that it clearly aspires to be”. I had the same hopes for the book, but it feels like it was written by or for a 14yo boy. So perhaps this really isn’t the material for thoughtful meditations on curiosity!
Show threadCorey S Powell13h ago

@butterscotch

It's *so close*! That's part of what frustrated me. It's just missing the bigger human element--the "shoulders of giants" awareness.

Show threadDavid Zaslavsky13h ago

@coreyspowell oof, well, I still think want to see it but it sounds like they made some unfortunate and critical changes from the book

#ProjectHailMary

Show threadCorey S Powell13h ago

@diazona

It's worth seeing. The core character is funny and curious. A lot of the visuals are lovely. It's just missing a key piece of heart, imho.

Show threadTruhe9h ago
@diazona They added a ton of scenes to the movie so that Ryan Gosling can be a goofball like in Nice Guys. They changed somber scenes with rocky to a funny joke. They removed most of the science parts, which explained things. It's an okay-ish movie if you expect it to be a buddy movie like Ted and don't have problems with this kind of humour added to Hail Mary. In the second half, the movie gets a bit more serious and I will watch it again for that second part.
Show threadDavid Zaslavsky9h ago

@truhe Hm good to know

Probably means I will not like it as much as the book but I should see it regardless. I like humor in general, but the style of Ted is a little too crude for me to really love it.

Show threadTruhe8h ago
@diazona I love Ted, but just not in Hail Mary. It's too much clowning around and felt off-character to me. I was deepy disappointing especially from the beginning. I started reading the book again after the movie and everything I disliked was added to the movie to make the movie more fun.