It’s been a pretty slow month when it comes to working on the map, and I’ve just been plodding my way through one shade of brown, after tan, after slightly lighter brown. We haven’t gotten to the point where I need to start marking off the squares I’ve already completed in black ink but it’s getting more and more likely. We’ll have to see whether it hold out or if I need to print a new copy of this portion of the map after all the wear and tear the last part went through.
Now this is a deviation from what I was reading before and it’s not technically an audio book, but I think it’s audio-book adjacent enough to count. Recently my family and I went to see Project Hail Mary and I cannot recommend the movie enough, it’s funny, heartfelt, and family-friendly.
I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll keep my review spoiler free. The movie starts with Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, waking up on a space ship with no memory of who he is or why he is there. The movie explores both questions, the why pretty early on by introducing the peril that sent him to space but the who takes nearly the whole movie to fully work through. The peril is a bacteria eating the light of the sun, a phenomena that seems to be affecting every star around our solar system except for one. Because of this the Hail Mary is sent to determine why that sun in particular is safe so they can protect their own sun from being consumed and putting the earth in an ice age.
The movie follows Grace as he encounters another alien research vessel there for the same reason, with Grace and the only surviving alien working together to save both their home stars. Interspersed throught the adventure in space are flash backs as Grace begins to remember who he was and what was happening back on earth before he left.
I don’t want to spoil anything about the movie but I will note a few generalized highlights. While the movie treats the problem of the sun going out with the gravity it deserves, it still manages to keep the tone of the movie mostly light hearted. The issues and dangers that need to be treated seriously are given the weight they need to make the danger feel real, but my whole family laughed frequently through the movie as humor was used naturally throughout. The humor was clean, smart, and enhanced by the fact that all the characters were likeable. This is not a movie that has a direct antagonist working against the protagonist, but everyone is doing their best to work together to do what needs to be done, even if the choices are difficult. The science in the movie isn’t super in depth or complex, making it easy to understand, but enough is included so that what needs to be explained is explained well.
All together I will definitely be watching this movie again, and if you have an interest in sci-fi, space, or buddy adventures this is defintly a movie for you!
