Project Hail Mary

I connected with this movie's emotional tone. I believe Daniel Pemberton's score, and other songs such as the Beatles' Two of Us, are perfectly chosen. We are used to films with an apocalyptic view of destruction when humanity meets aliens. This one flips that idea: what if love and friendship are universal, and could be found elsewhere, far from our planet?

There are wonderful details here, such as how a thumbs-up sign could read as a thumbs-down in a different convention. It is powerful to realize how the other can create a visual representation of yourself. Dr. Grace recognizes himself in the little figure he is given.

I kept thinking about how different the times are in 2026. If this movie had been filmed thirty years ago, Rocky would be as culturally present as Wilson was in Cast Away. As a physicist and scientist myself, it seems there will come a time to expand human consciousness beyond our borders — maybe into the Solar System, maybe elsewhere.

I love Dr. Grace's empathy. Having spent years working with high-school students myself, I recognize the empathy and kindness he finds in them. This story is a reminder that an unlikely person can become a hero. Dr. Grace only lacked confidence in himself, yet he is able to recognize the best of humanity in the most unlikely places.