Rating
8
INFO
- Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
- Stars: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung, Liz Kingsman
- IMDB NeoDB Douban
Plot
Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
Review
This has been the most anticipated movie in a long time for sci-fi readers like me. The novel it based on is the best sci-fi novel in recent years. We saw the movie on its opening weekend. I’m glad to report the film exceeded all expectations. I was thoroughly impressed!
Considering the length of the novel (the audiobook lasts 27 hours), condensing it into a 2.5-hour movie and keep every plot twist, let alone all the scientific nuance, is a monumental task. Facing the challenge, the screenwriter, Drew Goddard (The Martian), did a fantastic job! The film retells the story faithfully while adopting a lighter, happier tone. The scientific settings are also well-respected, just a little subdued.
I was also impressed by the production design and the music score. The movie is bright, colorful and warm, unlike the mainstream gloomy style of Hollywood. The spacecraft, spacesuits, laboratory, Rocky and every other element feel solid, weighty and real. Moreover, the movie added a few original scenes that enriched the PHM universe: a post-Astrophage, but pre-Taumoeba, ice-covered Earth; the colorful Adrian; and also the huge Earth-bubble on planet Erid.
Ryan Gosling again proved that he is a solid, if not great, actor. He definitely can make audiences laugh and cry. Although the supporting cast is limited, characters such as Eva Stratt and Rocky are both touching, and endearing.
I still have much to discuss: where it differs from the book, how I would have write the screenplay, why it was received differently in the West and East (initially), how effective was the heavy-weight marketing strategy, the value of IMAX edition, the protracted production journey. But they are out of the scope of this review and we still need time to fully evaluate some of these topics. The movie is so interesting that I just can’t stop thinking about it!
Despite these strengths, the film’s streamlined approach comes with a trade-off. The reviewer at NPR criticized the movie for being glib and earthbound, arguing that it downplayed the stark environmental disaster on Earth, and the vast lonely space. While I don’t agree completely, I find the movie somewhat shallow and childish. It lacks complexity and does not give the audience enough time to contemplate. For instance, I think it is natural to wonder: Could Rocky be a bad alien? Would Grace forfeit his mission if he blindly trusts an unknown alien? A great story would consider these questions, providing either a reasonable answer or a subtle clue for people to discover. An even better story would focus on asking and resolving these questions. Instead, the narrative in PHM is straightforward: A happens, then B, then C, then rushing to the end, without pausing to explore deeper questions.
Notes
Saw the movie the weekend it came out 2026-03-21, though not on an IMAX screen.