Project Hail Mary is a beautiful film in every sense of the word, illustrating the very best of what humanity has to offer while delivering gorgeous visuals throughout.
In 2015, Ridley Scott’s The Martian was released. With a script from Drew Goddard, based on the book by Andy Weir, it was quietly one of the best films of the decade. Over a decade later and the two have reunited for Weir’s third book, Project Hail Mary. In a similar fashion, the film follows a lone scientist in the void of space, forced to use his enormous science brain to save the world.
With directing duo, Christopher Miller and Phil Lord at the helm, Project Hail Mary is to no surprise an extremely entertaining film, full of wit and heart. This is their first live-action film since 2014’s wildly funny 22 Jump Street, having put all their efforts into the very successful Spider-Verse film. This is also only their fifth film as directors, their first that isn’t primarily comedic, and their talents are on full display – there’s absolutely no doubt of confidence in their abilities as filmmakers.
The film follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) as he wakes up from a coma, alone in space with no idea what he’s doing there. It’s from this point two narratives emerge: one revolves around Grace trying to uncover the mystery of his own identity and why is he’s the one responsible for saving the world.
“This is the kind of film that reminds you why we go to the cinema”
The other, is a much bigger mystery, one with catastrophic consequences if not solved. The sun is dying, its energy being devoured by an extraterrestrial bacteria known as astrophage. However, there seems to be one star in the galaxy resisting this sun-devouring parasite; Grace is then sent there to find a cure and hopefully, save Earth. One might say, he’s their saving Grace,
He isn’t alone though. Around an hour into the film, he meets Rocky. A stone-like, alien creature who like Grace, is also trying to save his home from the astrophage. The two agree to team up in the hopes of stopping the eventual end of their worlds.
It’s a testament to both Gosling and the team behind Rocky, that this film- which for long stretches features only one human actor and a rock – feels so alive. For a film set in the cold emptiness of space, the relationship between Grace and Rocky provides so much warmth. The plot felt similar to Interstellar however, unlike Nolan’s grand space epic, Project Hail Mary feels a lot more light-hearted.
Gosling is in prime film star mode; full of charisma and to no surprise nailing the comedic moments. He plays the role of goofy science nerd very well, often breaking down the complex matters of the film in an audience-friendly way. He’s the perfect fit for a role like this, carrying scenes on his lonesome with pure charm. Despite the humour, the stakes of the mission are never in doubt, and Miller and Lord allow for quieter and more sincere moments too – hell, it might even get some tears out of you.
The film is absolutely stunning which is to be expected when Greg Fraiser is involved. There was a moment in here which absolutely blew me away; the visuals combined with Daniel Pemberton’s awesome score had me mesmerised at the IMAX screen.
For it’s lengthy two-and-a-half hour runtime, I wouldn’t of minded another thirty minutes devoted to certain pivotal plot points in the film. There’s also a few moments where Project Hail Mary felt it wanted to end and the directing duo couldn’t decide what ending they wanted.
Despite these small shortcomings, there’s no doubt that Project Hail Mary is a wonderfully entertaining experience, that reminds us exactly why we need to go to the cinema. It’s also a great case study as to why sci-fi is one of the most engaging genres, combining out-of-this world creativity with the more grounded and real human condition.
It’s a massive year for sci-fi and Ryan Gosling and a rock just came out swinging.
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