Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers to the movie “Project Hail Mary.“
The question always asked is, are aliens real? Although we have no proof of another life’s existence beyond Earth, many people believe that they do exist.
Like all conspiracy theories, many fiction stories include these ideas of “what if’s,” including aliens and existential threats. No different is the newly-released film “Project Hail Mary” (based on the novel by Andy Weir), in which the universe, our planet, is slowly dying.
Unfortunately, our planet’s fresh water is disappearing fast due to the high increase in AI usage, needing excessive amounts of electricity. This is expected to double by 2030.
The film consists of a mystery at the beginning of the movie, where an astronaut, Ryland Grace, wakes up from a coma in the middle of space with amnesia. He had been traveling to space for four years before waking up and noticing he was the only one who survived out of his two other crew mates.
“The movie was definitely worth watching in theaters because the movie had a lot of scenes where it was very beautiful with the space,” said OH senior Reyhan Tanovic. “I think having it on a big screen is a much greater experience than watching on a little phone or TV. It was a very beautiful movie.”
It is a beautiful movie. The visuals made you feel like you were in space, like in the scene when Grace jumped out of his ship for the first time, to gather the astrophage material. Also when Rocky’s ship pulled up next to Grace’s ship, and shot out messages to Grace. The attention to detail made the movie even better.
From what Grace could remember, he was a science teacher who only knew of the issues with the sun dying because an alien microbe, an astrophage, was consuming all of the sun’s energy. In the next 30 years, it would have frozen over the Earth, causing an ice age. Grace was the only one who was able to create a solution that saved Earth. In our time, the Earth is expected to heat up by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rocky and Grace did not understand each others languages, so after visiting the area where their ships connect a few times, Grace thought Rocky how to show his emotions through multiple hand signals, such as; thumbs down (means yes), jazz hands (means excitement), or waving hands (means goodbye). This was not there only form of communication, they started using a computer and translate through that as well.
“I thought the story was really well done, the science was really cool as well. It was a good combination,” said OH science teacher Zachary Horn. “They did a lot with there only being one or two characters in the scenes at a time, a lot of explanation through nonverbal [communication].”
Grace’s star was not the only one at risk. During the movie, his ship ended up next to another ship that would try communicating with him by sending messages to Grace through containers made of xenonite.
Though the main plot was to save the stars that are dying, a lot of the movie consisted of Grace and Rocky building up their friendship and learning about each other, like ways to communicate and learn about their cultures and families.
“My favorite part of the movie was when [Grace] met the alien because it was funny,” said Tanovic. Both were in the same boat with losing their energy sources, yet they still made light of the situation and injected a non-serious tone at times.
“I was surprised when there ended up being an alien in the movie because I thought the movie was going to be more realistic, but there was an alien,” Tanovic emphasized.
Surprisingly, for a movie about our planet dying, the mood of the movie is definitely more of a comedy.
Grace’s character is intelligent with a broad sense of humor that brings more of a positive mood to the movie and attachment to the character. Both of the characters needed to save their stars, and when it was time for them to finish the mission, Rocky lent Grace the final piece to his puzzle to get back home. Through communication and collaboration, being able to help each other on their missions saved both of their planets, even though it took some compromise.
What was most surprising about the film? For OH senior like Royster, it was the Grace’s sense of home. “The main character, Dr. Grace, went back to Rocky’s planet,” Royster said, surprised. The two characters ended up staying together in the end. Grace sent the taumoeba back to Earth and saved both planets, which created a happy ending for the two.
Just like in 2026, the Earth’s water supply is being drained. In “Project Hail Mary,” they were able to figure out a solution through communication, collaboration, and compromise. Will we?
Hello! My name is Jessica Bellah and I'm a senior and this is my first year on 42Fifty Staff. I serve as a staff reporter and the Opinions Editor. I am also an editor for our school's yearbook, The Reflector. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
