Project Hail Mary

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  • 0.5y ago

General reflections

  • cinematic shots a bit slow-moving but aesthetic. could be a 2h movie lol
  • very sci-fi, lots of biology/chemistry/physics/astronomy worldbuilding, you may not understand it all, but they establish the stakes clearly enough
  • there were shots of some symbol-engraved golden plates, are they a reference to the Pioneer plaque?
  • really made use of the back-and-forth, past-present interleaving
    • withholding information from before the mission, until it’s the best time to reveal (as late as possible, as resonant to the present narrative as possible)
    • helps to slowly drip in the really heavy exposition, dense sci-fi worldbuilding, sequence of events
    • his initial coma, also helps the audience to slowly learn about his life as he does. typical narrative hack, but so effective
    • (spoilers) really liked the “twist” reveal that he was forced onto the mission. explains the coma

Story Structure

  • H1/REACTION: Grace avoids brave heroism
    • Q1/FALLEN: Grace must confess the need to enter the adventure world
      • HOOK: Present!Grace wakes up and freaks out
      • E1/RESISTANCE: Past!Grace rejects and dismisses the Project Hail Mary
      • INCITE: Grace gets security clearance to learn of coming catastrophe
      • E2/WANT: Astrophage experiments, Grace wants in (to serve, but not to die!)
    • Q2/SURVIVAL: Grace struggles doing the mission (with Rocky)
      • FQP: Rocky’s ship enters; past!Grace fully signed into Project Hail Mary
      • E3/STUMBLE: Grace makes multiple contacts with Rocky; iterating on Earth
      • PINCH1: Rocky’s crew dead; the past karaoke night for suicide squad
      • E4/ADAPT: Rocky moves into the Hail Mary, and they work together
  • H2/PROACTION: Grace decides to give up his life
    • Q3/ADULTING: Grace starts to risk his life
      • MP: Rocky offers to send Grace back. Learning that Taumoeba eats Astrophage.
      • E5/PURPOSE: Grace takes charge into planet Adrian and risks his life
      • PINCH2: Rocky sacrifices himself to save the ship
      • E6/PURCHASE: Grace waits on Rocky to save his world too, not just go back
    • Q4/WAR: Grace must prove his change
      • LQP: Rocky wakes up! Both planets are on track to be saved
      • E7/MIRROR: Grace remembers he was forced onto the mission
      • C-INC: Taumoeba dilemma. Grace must choose: Rocky’s world, or himself?
      • E8/CHANGE: Grace becomes the brave hero
      • C-MP: Grace sends probes back to Earth, himself returning to save Rocky
      • CLIMAX: Rocky is saved; probes reach earth
    • RESOLUTION: Eva (boss lady) reacts to Grace’s vlogs. Grace resides on Adrian with Rocky, hesitating to return to Earth, opting to continue teaching the Eridians on planet Adrian

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