Project Hail Mary

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Science fiction, even leaving in the apparently magical means by which he went to Mars sorry Barsoom it is science fiction.

And to piss off the “hard science fiction is the real science fiction” lot: if it has FTL travel it is science fantasy….

I promise to not shoot anybody who disagrees with me.

Much.

 

[Darat]

Burroughs doesn't in my opinion get enough credit for setting out the genre format for the science fiction genre that lasted for quite a few decades. He tends to be quickly dismissed as nothing but a "pulp" author these days. (Mind you he is hardly alone in suffering from that put-down.)

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Burroughs doesn't in my opinion get enough credit for setting out the genre format for the science fiction genre that lasted for quite a few decades. He tends to be quickly dismissed as nothing but a "pulp" author these days. (Mind you he is hardly alone in suffering from that put-down.)

Verne for early "hard science fiction"?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Darat]

Verne for early "hard science fiction"?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Surprisingly Burroughs often does give "sciencey" sounding explanations and descriptions in his text, that his grasp on even current sciencey stuff for his times was lacking doesn't mean he didn't try and be hard!

 

[arthwollipot]

Right question. You said it was a bit of both science fiction and fantasy. So which bit is the science?

I deny your premise. Saying that something is a bit of two things in no way implies that one bit is exclusively one thing and another bit is exclusively another thing, especially in a topic as fuzzy and imprecise as genre.

 

[Darat]

For me I think the movie suffered by being too "cute", one way was obviously because of who the star actor was but also the depiction of Rockie and his ilk.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I deny your premise. Saying that something is a bit of two things in no way implies that one bit is exclusively one thing and another bit is exclusively another thing, especially in a topic as fuzzy and imprecise as genre.

And eventually we get down to atoms, at least.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

Watched all but the last 30 minutes of the film with a friend, had to leave early to catch the last bus home. I found it amazing. The pacing is incredibly fast, but I get that, there's a lot that needs to happen. Also the music is great, the humor is mostly great, and the writing is great. Not to mention the visual effects, I get the people who say you have to watch this on IMAX.

Only complaint is it went so fast that I think I would have had problems following some of the finer plot points had I not read the book. Could've spent just 10-30 seconds more explaining a couple things.

But holy ◊◊◊◊ what a movie. I'll definitely watch this again. And again.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I've watched Hail Mary a dozen times. Now I'm re-reading the book. (On my phone. Kindle, of course.) Some of the science still baffles me.

 

[Andy_Ross]

I like the soundtrack

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

For me I think the movie suffered by being too "cute", one way was obviously because of who the star actor was but also the depiction of Rockie and his ilk.

Buddy movies are like that. And the interaction of two wildly alien species was well done. I've started reading the book, on Kindle, and I'm glad I didn't read it before watching the movie.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Okay, 113.8 years to Earth on the first dry erase board we see closely? Humies are gone gone gone. The beetles aren't capable of translight.

 

[dann]

Real Life Astrophage? Exciting Discoveries of Weird Fungi and Bacteria (Anton Petrov on YouTube, Aug 26, 2026 – 15 min.)
Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about the real life astrophage and how life thrives on radiation
0:00 Project Hail Mary and the Astrophage idea
1:30 Life on Earth uses chemical principles only
2:40 Why nuclear life never evolved
4:00 Natural nuclear reactor on Earth - Oklo reactor
6:00 No signs of life
6:40 Some organisms can still harvest radiation
10:10 Using uranium for breathing
12:15 Implications and conclusions

With links to relevant studies.

 

[dann]

For me I think the movie suffered by being too "cute", one way was obviously because of who the star actor was but also the depiction of Rockie and his ilk.

Rocky's ilk was too cute for you? Really? Not exactly Yoda babies ...

 

[Darat]

In the classroom scene at the end, yep.

 

[Jack by the hedge]

I agree. I got the impression they were consciously trying to add kid-appeal to the film, in part with the characterisation of Rocky and the young rock creatures.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

For me I think the movie suffered by being too "cute", one way was obviously because of who the star actor was but also the depiction of Rockie and his ilk.

Inform me as to what you're having issues with? I'm reading the book, like filling in the blanks the movie created.

 

[Trebuchet]

I've only read the book. It failed to inspire me to see the movie.

 

[dann]

In the classroom scene at the end, yep.

That's the scene I linked to.

 

[Darat]

Inform me as to what you're having issues with? I'm reading the book, like filling in the blanks the movie created.

Not really an issue, just a comment.