Project "Hail Mary"

 

       As is the story goes with all movies made after Weir's books they are thick on technical details (hard sci-fi) and short on human conflict. But all cinematic stories, even the animal documentaries, are ultimately about people. The movie would benefit from a farewell sex scene between protagonist (Ryan Reynolds) and tough-as-nails captain played by Sandra Huller but, maybe, the need to keep it PG-13 precluded the producers from any hint of sexual nature of attraction between them. 

    Equally lacking is the alien contact story. It has no moral or conceptual divide between the world of the stone spider alien and a human. Yet, a burning of an alien in oxygen atmosphere is quite realistic and can be scientifically explained. Unlike the PG cartoon message of the movie.