Everything You Expect Is Missing in 'Project Hail Mary'

And that's for the better

When my sons were little, I chose a children's adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey for bedtime storytelling. Before we started, I explained two reasons why this old story was special.

For a start, the Odyssey was the first time a hero in Western culture was celebrated for smarts and cunning—and not just fighting and violence. It was as if Homer had grown up after creating the Iliad (in which 239 characters, identified by name, meet their death), and decided to tell a more civilized tale.

I applaud that. We all need role models who only fight as a last resort, not as a way of life. So we can still learn from Homer.

My second reason for liking the Odyssey was a more personal one. I explained to my sons that the hero Odysseus wasn’t seeking adventure—he just wanted to get home. All his efforts were directed at returning to his wife and child. So he was just like their dad, I added, who would always come home to them as soon as he could.

But Odysseus was like their dad in other respects too. That’s because he had jobs to do out in the world, and he took his responsibilities seriously. So he made sure to take care of business—and only then make the journey home. In the case of the Odyssey, that entire round trip lasted twenty years (much worse, I admit, than my typical commute).

I was reminded of all these things when I watched the new sci-fi blockbuster movie Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s 2021 bestselling novel.