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Project Hail Mary

 I was going in thinking about Interstellar and Arrival, because those sci-fi films are intentional dramas. And the Nolan brothers write, produce, and direct with the intention of producing an emotional response. If you have seen Interstellar, you know.

There’s always a risk of being cheap and mawkish with that effort, but I think both Interstellar and Arrival earn their payoffs with characters we care about and costs that aren’t repaid neatly.

This film kind of sets us up for something similar: Hero goes on an apparent suicide mission to save the world. He finds more than he bargained for. He’s reluctant. It jumps around in time to fill in the background. But this film replaces the sorrow with humor and a kind of plucky optimism. It’s not like self-sacrifice is absent; not at all. But “Coop” saves the world FOR his kids, Tom and Murph. In a way, the world IS Tom and Murph. Love drives him. Grace had no one on Earth; he found a purpose in deep space. He didn’t even willingly go. Where Arrival and Interstellar are human dramas in the medium of science fiction, this film is a buddy comedy in the medium of science fiction. It’s definitely got deep themes of friendship and love, but you can enjoy this movie. You won’t need to emotionally process, most likely. “That was cute and funny,” you’ll probably say.

I was weeping and shaking, still sitting in the theater after both public viewings of Interstellar. I was glad to be alone when I watched Arrival at home.

I don’t like it when popular films are derided for pleasing audiences. But it’s absolutely true that this one takes a lighter touch with sorrow and loss. I doubt I’ll cry over this one. And that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, or that it was frivolous. It just didn’t demand an emotional toll from me anywhere near those other films did. And in a way, I appreciated the break.

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