I think the thing about the BloodyMary au that makes me the most insane is how well the universes of Iron Lung and Project Hail Mary just click together like puzzle pieces.
Like these aren't two movies that happened to come out around the same time and are slightly similar in premise so people are comparing them, they're literally the same movie. Iron Lung is what would've happened if Grace and Rocky didn't save the stars.
Both movies are about hope for a better tomorrow and a brighter future. One where people won't have to go through what the protagonists went through.
Both of the protagonists are sacrificial lambs (I don't think Rocky was a sacrifical lamb in the same way Ryland was, but correct me if I'm wrong) who are seen as expendable. There will be no one at home waiting for them to return if they die, and they have no one to live for when they're forced onto their missions. Both of them treated as nothing more than objects, tools to complete the mission, both having their autonomy ripped away from them.
There are sooooo many religious parallels and so much symbolism in both movies, of course.
One of the main people in charge of sending Simon into the blood ocean is named Ava, and the main person in charge of sending Grace into space is named Eva (I cannot get over how similar their names are they're literally the same character) who don't want to do this. They don't want to send people to die, especially when they can barely afford to. But they don't have a choice.
While Ava and Eva are antagonistic (especially Ava I hated her at the start of the movie) it's clear that they're not doing what they're doing out of malicious intent, they're doing it because it's the only way they know how to save humanity, and they're so so desperate to be able to do it. They are also shown being sympathetic towards the main character.
Despite going through literal hell nightmare scenarios, both of the protagonists are incredibly kind and so incredibly human. They scream about how their situations are unfair and how they don't want to die, they just want to live, they have every right to be angry and yet they still display acts of kindness.
Simon apologizes over and over when he accidentally blasts the crew with radiation, despite it not being his fault that he didn’t know the camera would do that. And he always apologizes to the submarine whenever he gets mad and hits it.
Grace honors the lives of two people who he doesn't remember, crying over them and giving them the best funeral he could. He's kind to the ship, calling it Mary and thanking it for it's help. He's immediately kind to Rocky, always being patient with him and giving up his chance to return to Earth to save his life. He names that robot thing at the end Armando and gives it a noogie, and leaves the door open because it likes the fresh air.
In the end, they both get their freedom in a way. Grace lives on Erid, getting to continue being a teacher and finally having people in his life to be brave for. Simon dies, but he doesn't go down without a fight. He does everything he can so that the black box makes it to the surface, and it does. His sacrifice isn't in vain. And in the end, he's finally free of being seen as only a convict, as only a butcher. He's a person, and he's a person who died, but not for nothing.
I've seen both movies edited to that one part of In The Navy (you know the part)
It's just so crazy to me how similar these stories are and how similar the protagonists are. I'm going insane.
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
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