When was the last time you saw an objectively good Christian movie? I am not talking about faith-based, Hallmark-style slop marketed to older Christian women and pastors. I am not talking about an over-the-top gospel tract, with an altar call scene slammed into the third act, pretending to be a movie. I’m talking about a Christian movie that rivaled the biblical imagery and depth of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis.
Last week, I went to see Project Hail Mary, a movie adapted from Andy Weir’s novel, knowing nothing about the book or the film ahead of time. The movie, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Verse films and The Lego Movie), follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a school teacher who was blacklisted by the scientific establishment because of his research that contradicted scientific orthodoxy. His research catches the attention of Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) of Project Hail Mary, a mission to solve the sun’s drastic cooling. A “Petrova Line” of bacteria is spreading through the universe, ending the life of stars everywhere.
