I recently turned 30, and suddenly everyone is accusing me of “seeming old.” Naturally, to fix my apparent cultural expiration date, I’ve been doing some deep-dive research.
My quest for youth took me over to Aida Azizi’s TikTok live streams. she’s kinda loud, but hey you work with what you’ve got when you’re trying to figure out what’s in these days. While hanging out in the chat, I asked around for some actual movie recommendations worth watching. The live chat came through with two heavy hitters: Chernobyl and Project Hail Mary.
I decided to kick things off with Project Hail Mary, and I have some thoughts.
Chipper in the Face of Cosmic Doom
At first, I’m not going to lie, I started complaining about the sheer seriousness of the situation. Or rather, the lack of it from the main character. For a guy on a absolute one-way suicide trip to a distant galaxy to save humanity, Doctor Grace seems pretty damn chipper. I kept waiting for a heavy, sombering moment, but the man just keeps his head up.
But here’s the thing: it weirdly grows on you.
The heart of the film centers on watching two entirely different life forms connect—and honestly, I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true. The movie brings this incredibly strange, unique sense of humor and intrigue to the sci-fi genre.
Relationship Goals (By Way of Space Rocks)
My absolute favorite moment by far is when Grace finds out that Rocky has a mate. It is hilarious, but also oddly comforting. These alien rocks can spend hundreds of years together on a distant planet and still make it work? It really makes you sit back and think: what is wrong with the human species? some can’t even get a text back, and these space rocks are out there serving centuries-long relationship goals.
The Verdict
Beneath the sci-fi spectacle, the film hits you with some incredibly deep human moments. In the depths of what seems like a completely hopeless situation, it delivers something you never knew you needed—something you completely overlooked going into it.
If you’re looking for something genuinely refreshing, Project Hail Mary is definitely worth checking out. It is easily hands-down one of the best movies of 2026.
