I’m used to media where when a betrayal happens it casts every previous friendly moment in the shadow of that future betrayal, every close conversation and word of encouragement becomes tinged with the fact they were keeping secrets, this was the plan from the start, you can see in their eyes now, but with Eva Stratt it’s different.
Somehow, her betrayal doesn’t erase the friendship they had. It doesn’t make the relationship any less real or tangible, it doesn’t even really end it, or twist it into something else in hindsight. What makes Stratt still feel like Grace’s friend at the end of the movie despite the betrayal is her honesty. Eva Stratt never pretended to be anything else than what she was, she never hid her methods or what she was willing to do or what she was willing to sacrifice— anything, anyone, for billions, for the world—and Grace knew this about her. This betrayal wasn’t the plan from the beginning, she had her plan and her scientists. And the moment they’re gone she sits Grace down and she tells him.
She explains it, she gives him as much information about the reasoning as she can. She sends him to save the world and then die, and she doesn’t lie to him about it to make it easier for herself or for him or for anyone, and lying definitely would have made it easier. She betrays him and it doesn’t change the fact that they were friends, it doesn’t warp the softer scenes beforehand, it’s a long-shot to save the world, the lives of billions weighed against the life of one friend, Ryland Grace knew who she was. Eva Stratt was always going to pick the world over anyone, including herself.
And, because of who she is, the moment where she made him think he had a choice doesn’t feel like cruelty, it feels like the proof they really were friends. Up to this point everything she's done has been for the world, but this… this was Eva Stratt’s only allowed bit of selfishness, giving her friend three hours to choose to go so she wouldn’t have to choose for him. I’m fine about Eva Stratt I swear—
took a nap and dreamed that I pulled up AO3 and found John Kiriakou/Reader and the first tags were "smut" and "inappropriate/inadequate use of humus" and woke up in cold sweat and tears. what the fuck.
Okay I gotta do this or else I’ma lose my mind. Project Hail Mary movie stuff here we go
“Please Record video diary,.” / “I’m not doing that.”
The way so much movement is to the beat of the music the editing is so good
Ryland Grace saying “oh no” and “uh-oh” whenever he sees anything new no mater if it’s positive or negative and there is no way to tell from his tone cause it’s the same every time
Stratt accusing him of running and then speeding up to run with him
The way everyone starts giving Grace thumbs up when he looks at them
*sighs into walkie talkie*
Licorice for Grace exclusively and skittles for EVERYONE else on site
“Me and Carl made a mini Venus out of a plywood box.” / “Who’s Carl???”
Stratt making a “wheep wheep” sound effect when tapping the projector screen and showing Grace the astrophage fuel plan
“Which is why you now live on a boat in the middle of the ocean, in case of” *mimes explosion* Stratt is 1000 times more expressive than I remember from the first watch I knew I was obsessed with her for a reason
The amount of flailing around Grace does
“Nope nope, nope, nope, nope.”
Grace nope-ing out of the space walk and then accidently slingshotting hismelf out of the ship
If can’t understand, slam against table strategy, brought to you by Dr. Ryland Grace
Getting startled by Rocky’s solar system and then slamming back up against the glass a second later to get a better look at it
POV you’re Rocky in the middle of constructing a breathable tunnel for this alien dude and he knocks on your window before your ready and when you tell him to get the heck back in his ship and out of the tunnel it’s not finished yet he responds with “But I just got here…”
The tango/ballroom music playing while Rocky adjusts lines up the ships took me OUT
Grace holding up his hand in a peace sign when he sees fullbody Rocky
“Face’s are overrated.”
How annoyed Rocky sounds when Grace doesn’t realize he’s pointing initially
The fact Grace takes his helmet off trusting this rock lookin alien did oxygen right is crazy, not just because trusting an alien not to have intent to harm but also trusting an alien to actually know what it’s doing and know enough about him to do it right
The fact he doesn’t figure out the other thing Rocky sent him is“It’s the patrova line” until this point they did not have to add that and I’m so glad they did
Grace interrupts Rocky right in the middle of his name when he’s introducing himself
I don’t know if Grace and Rocky realize how much the other talks at the start since they don’t understand each other, neither of them shut up
Rocky laughing at Grace
Rocky building Grace a place to sit in the wall
Grace getting more and more crammed into the tunnel and closer to Rocky the more relaxed he gets
Grace getting more clumsy the sleepier he is
The really dumb “Good night sir” bow he does to Rocky (he also bows to the astronauts when he firsts meets them)
Grace trusts Rocky quickly yeah but the way Rocky trusts Grace even more quickly is crazy
Grace and his stupid permanant licorice in his mouth instead of a cigarette or toothpick or something
The way Eva Stratt is always watching Grace
The way you can see how the astronauts opinion of Grace changes when they show the astrophage from humouring the dishevelled unassuming sweater guy to respecting the world’s leading expert in astrophage
Grace remembers the people on the boat as his friends so says his whiteboard nobody touch me
Mary trying to coach Rocky and Grace through their Ikea bed set-up argument
Rocky slamming his head against his ball repeatedly, then accusing Grace of being grumpy because he hasn’t napped
Rocky and Grace filing in the gaps that the other has in skills and knowledge i am face in hands bro
Grace is smart but he needs a Carl or a Rocky to help him be the most smart he needs someone to point out the obvious
Mary interrupting Grace when he’s trying to say how long travelling will take
Grace making Rocky ball and all a seatbelt
“Hanging ten”
Rocky holding his screen translator thing like a microphone during Karaoke
“I miss the fog.” I’m obsessed with you
The ending of Adrian’s name sounding like when you come to a screeching halt
Grace’s swagless ADHD vs Stratt’s soft logic Cringefail social skills
Ryland Grace is the most swagless fail of a man
“You don’t bother me.”
I need to analyze every facial expression Eva Stratt makes when she looks at Ryland Grace your honor
The soldiers in the hallway listening to Stratt’s karaoke
eye-contact with Grace while singing
Stratt out here looking like she’s mourning the life she won’t have since she knows she’s gonna spend life in prison after saving the world (if this works)
Stratt and Grace mattering to each other is making me mentally ill wdym Grace is Stratt’s softness and Stratt is Grace’s confidence wdym
I’m convinced Rocky tapping his foot twice whenever he asks a question is a tone indicator, like when we pitch our voices up to indicate a question, not neccesarily the word ‘question’, and Grace just put ‘tapping foot twice’ as the word ‘question’ in the translator which is why all Rocky’s questions end with the word question.
GRACE CLICKING HIS HEELS TOGETHER BEFORE GOING BACK INSIDE AFTER NAMING THE PLANET AFTER ADRIAN
Rocky mimicking Grace checking his watch even though he doesn’t have one
Rocky just waiting while Grace studies the astrophage
Grace getting clumsy when he’s sleepy or panicked vs Rocky getting clumsy when he’s excited about something they trip so much in this movie
Grace playing catch with Rocky/himself on the glass while he’s brainstorming and Rocky just has to deal with that
“Thumps uuuppp babyyy” —Rocky the Eridian
Rocky doing a puppet show for Earth
Rocky gives driving directions like my dad
Rocky assuming Grace has been in direct contact with earth this whole time hurts me for unknown reasons Huston
“Thumbs up?” / “No.”
Grace’s voice cracking when he says “We got stars to save.”
Rocky using his fingers when he does math
“I didn’t mean any of that—“
Rocky picking up on Grace’s way of speaking
“Can you take a compliment, please?” / “No.” / “That’s an order.”
Grace’s toque looking like he’s got cat ears or something
Grace’s bright yellow jacket being like the only colour the fact it’s yellow the colour associate with the sun
“That’s not half bad.” / “It’s full good.” Just admit when something’s going well Grace
Grace’s pained sound morphing into Rocky’s worried chittering that they don’t have translated words for I’m FINE about this movie’s editing i swear
“EVERYBODY CALM DOWN.”
Grace’s vocal fry when he screams for Rocky I’m FINE
That one shot of Carl looking at him like he’s a friend he’s losing
After dragging Grace to the medbay, Rocky would have had to drag himself to his bubble, break into it, and re-seal it again, this dude is crazy
Grace making Rocky a heat lamp even though his atmosphere is so hot that it would probably be totally useless
Ryland Grace physically shaking with relief when he figures out the taumoeba
Grace walking Rocky through everything while he’s unconscious
You ever think about how if Grace died Erid and Earth would die it wouldn’t matter if Rocky survived because Grace is the scientist and Rocky isn’t and if Rocky died just Erid would die and not earth too i’M FINE
Grace not wearing his own spacesuit under the suit rocky made him, trust is CRAZY
Rocky and Grace’s spaceships both having the story of their planets welded into the walls of their ships
Eva Stratt i am obsessed with you, she’s realistic but she still gives the most optimistic prediction and mourns that it can’t be true
Ryland Grace crying over the fact that he doesn’t think he has it in him to go to space. Not because he’s getting sent because he doesn’t know that yet but because “I don’t have it in me.” Crying over the fact that he’s not more than he is. This man’s view of himself my GUYS.
It’s not hard to ask people to die and then when she tells Grace he is she looks like she’s going to cry
Stratt flinching when Grace moves the chair to try escaping
It’s only once Grace is out of the room that Stratt’s voice is level again wdym she looks him in the face and gets choked up but when his back is turned she can be stoic wdym
Rocky and Grace dragging out their goodbyes as long as they can looking for any excuse to linger a little longer
Rocky continuing to say goodbye while Grace is walking away
Grace cutting through the tunnel to detach their ships and Rocky watching the whole time
Grace dreaming about earth
Someone in a lab coat rocking back and forth with their hands clasped tightly together while Grace is unconscious in the dream/flashback who IS that—
Grace not dismantling Rocky’s space even though he didn’t need it anymore and then using it to avoid gettingf blown out of the ship while it’s depressurizing
Grace punching the screen when he finds the leak
Rocky’s handprint scar on Grace’s arm
Grace counting down the days to get to Rocky and playing with Rocky’s spaceship models
The lyrics / We’re on our way home / we’re going home / playing while Grace is floating back towards Rocky’s ship and not when he was on his way back to earth shut uUUUUP
Grace accepting Rocky is probably dead, then raising the wrench to keep knocking or try to break through anyway to go get him
“I’m here buddy”
Stupid forehead touch through the wall I’m FINE
Grace sending the video dairy of him introducing Rocky instead of just the Taumoeba findings
Rockys’ model of Grace being modeled after how Grace was flailing in space when catching the solar system model capsule. First impressions, guys
Stratt doing the Eridian goodbye just once
The Petrova line slowly disappearing instead of having the screen fade to black OUGH this mOVIE, MAN
Rocky reminding him to close the door because I made you a door you better use the freaking door.
Adrian being either one of the scientists that built Grace’s bio-dome or one of the people in charge of maintaining it
I’m not sure if the beetles home trip would take the same amount of time as Mary’s prediction for the ship itself, but going off of that and if this picks up chronologically after Stratt receives the probes, then Grace has been on Erid for over four years at the time of the ending and they are STILL working on getting the temperature right in Grace’s bio dome
The way the domes walls don’t quite line up so the simulated rocks don’t connect to each other
The way the colour of the stripes on Grace’s shirt don’t seem as saturated as they have in previous scenes and his sweater looks more distressed and worn
PROJECT HAIL MARY OUGH I’m so normal about this movie guys trust
Gooseworks really used The Amazing Digital Circus to say even if you have no influence or impact on reality or the world at large you still have an impact on each other and that will always matter. Even when it doesn’t matter, you still matter. So live and look after each other
I mean we probably should have seen this coming you gave me an easily aroace-interpreted highly likely touch starved probably ADHD man who somehow manages to win over project directors bodyguards dignitaries and aliens alike with his swagless cringefail slightly desperate yet somehow still charming rizz that lightens the air of every room he walks into because he learns everyone's names and gives credit to people for their contributions no matter how small and uses government funding to buy everyone on site their own bag of skittles as the world is ending while also maintaining a level of humility that is really just a window into how little he really thinks of his own abilities importance and himself in general to the point where he cries because he wishes he was more than he is and then you send him to space and gave him a genius engineer/inventor alien best friend with severe PTSD and survivors guilt who reached out first and got severely co-dependantly attached to him instantaneously due to how long he was isolated to the point where he prioritizes this man's comfort over his own literally making him an atmosphere he's safe in that is actively hostile to himself and then had them both individually almost die for each other save each other and then they save the literal stars because of the force of how much they care about each other and that relationship is platonic the whole time yet it's importance is never downplayed it's celebrated its the reason they succeed what did we expect to have happen this is my brand of everything
Actually hilarious how Krypto is high key the damsel in distress character, kidnapped in superman, poisoned in Supergirl, needing to be rescued for most of the movies (great way to save on CGI budget by having him offscreen), yes their incentive is a dog, what are gonna do, cry about it? He's not even a great dog he's a menace and Kara would kill for him and she is so co-dependant on that dog he is her tie to living rn you touch him you die--you know what after watching Supergirl there's a whole other layer as to why Clark was so serious about getting that dog back
