‘Project Hail Mary,’ ‘Wonder Man’ bring the bromance
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I love the Andy Weir novel “Project Hail Mary,” and I was excited about the adaptation. I am happy to report it lived up to my expectations.
Ryan Gosling was great as Ryland Grace, and everything about the film was beautiful: the cinematography, the story, the bromance between two dudes bonding over science in outer space. … I’m getting ahead of myself.
If you have not seen it yet, here’s a little background: Grace wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. He discovers he’s the only survivor of a three-person crew light years away from Earth. He slowly remembers the events that led him to this distant solar system.
There was a lot of detail in the book that didn’t make it to the screen, and that was to be expected. If they did everything that was in the original, it would have been a lot longer than two and a half hours, and it would have been more tedious, to be honest. They did a pretty good job deciding what to keep, what to cut, and what to add. (I loved the addition of the karaoke scene.)
I really liked the adaptation of Weir’s novel “The Martian” as well. “Project Hail Mary” was even better. My one gripe is that it’s a little too perfect. The book is grittier. In the movie, the conflicts that arise are solved with less blood, sweat, and tears.
NASA’s real-life Artemis II flight is giving a similar positive vibe. The crew of four astronauts flew around the moon and launched from Cape Canaveral just a couple weeks after “Project Hail Mary” premiered in theaters. It was a rare parallel. A convergence? Maybe not so rare after all:
CBC reporter and film critic Jackson Weaver has pointed out astronaut movies often align with NASA milestones: “The Martian” (2015) was released a few weeks after NASA’s announcement about water on Mars. “First Man” (2018) came out a few months before the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. It’s not really coincidental; NASA has had a hand in this, having collaborated on many films.
Understandably, NASA will not put its brand on anything that depicts NASA in a negative light. The sci-fi horror flick “Life” was denied the use of the NASA logo, and Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” had a major disaster in space, which NASA would not support.
Maybe this has something to do with the happy, shiny perfect-ness of the movie I mentioned earlier. Might the setbacks Grace encountered have been minimized in the film – compared with the book – due to NASA’s involvement?
Don’t get me wrong, I think NASA is “amaze,” and I think space exploration reminds us to look at the big picture and moves us to see each other as neighbors and collaborators, rather than enemies. As Jeremy Hansen, one of the Artemis II astronauts, recently said, “Our purpose on the planet as humans is to find the joy in lifting each other up by creating solutions together instead of destroying. When you see it from out here, it doesn’t change it; it just absolutely reaffirms that.”
In that context, it’s easy to see why NASA approved of “Project Hail Mary.” They want us to see them in a positive light, but they also want us to be inspired by astronauts – even fictional ones.
I’ve been seeing comments online about fans becoming “obsessed” with “Project Hail Mary,” and feeling encouraged and motivated by the characters to do something meaningful with their lives.
The Artemis II astronauts worked together, not just with each other, but with all the NASA people on the ground, to carry out their mission.
Ryland Grace felt alone in space, but he did not get there alone. And ultimately, Grace is not alone. He develops a unique friendship with another scientist light years away from Earth, a friendship which is really the heart of the story.
Even though I complained about it being too perfect, I really did love “Project Hail Mary,” and I give it all the stars! It is possible that I like to complain so much that I even complain that there is nothing to complain about. Or maybe I’m too jaded; I need more than a good movie to make me feel hopeful right now – even if it’s a really, really good movie.
‘Wonder Man’
Another bromance I enjoyed recently is Marvel’s series “Wonder Man,” which was released at the end of January on Disney+. The character of Wonder Man first appeared in comics in the 1960s, but this is his first live-action appearance!
In this version, Simon Williams, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta in the Aquaman movies) is an actor who is excited to hear about auditions for a remake of the “Wonder Man” movie he loved as a child. He hears about the auditions from fellow actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), whom you may remember from “Iron Man 3,” in which he was hired (by Tony Stark’s nemesis) to portray a terrorist called “the Mandarin.” (Trevor also appeared in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the short film “All Hail the King.”)
Due to their shared love of acting, Simon and Trevor become friends. It’s not a typical superhero story. Often serious and suspenseful, exploring themes like trust and self-control, the show is also at times light-hearted and funny, and refreshingly unpredictable. “Wonder Man” is also interesting because it depicts what it’s like to be a struggling actor in Hollywood – and everything that comes with that.
There were reportedly two separate series planned, one about Simon and another about Trevor, and their stories were combined, which is surprising, as their friendship is my favorite thing about the show.
One of the best episodes is a flashback story behind Hollywood studios’ “Doorman Clause,” which bans people with superpowers from working in the film and television industry. The episode is in black and white and features a cameo from Josh Gad, playing himself and singing his Frozen character Olaf’s song “In Summer” in a nightclub. It is very funny and surreal.
I thought this might be a one and done miniseries, but it has already been renewed for a second season. It will be interesting to see what happens next for these characters.
The next new series on the Marvel slate is “VisionQuest,” a spinoff of “WandaVision.” Paul Bettany will reprise his role as Vision. The show is expected to premiere on Disney+ later this year but does not yet have a release date.
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