Project Hail Mary Movie Review

I'm hoping that Project Hail Mary, along with the popularity of television shows like Pluribus, signals a return to intelligent, speculative sci-fi. Amidst a tsunami of sequels, prequels, soft reboots and re-imaginings, I’m so glad that decent, original films like this are still being made. Hopefully people will actually go and see it.      

The film grabs you right out of the gate. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up from cryo-sleep aboard the Hail Mary spacecraft suffering from amnesia and soon discovers that his two fellow (infinitely more skilled) crewmates are dead. Via a series of flashback, we discover that the ship was dispatched in a last-ditch, one-way suicide mission to combat a solar plague called the astrophage which is causing the sun to dim, resulting in the extinction of all life on Earth within thirty years.

It’s soon revealed that the Hail Mary is en route to Tau Ceti because its star is seemingly immune to the effect of the astrophage. As the ship approaches its destination, Grace realizes that an alien spacecraft has already on the scene, clearly seeking answers as well. The pilot of the alien ship turns out to be a sentient, arachnid-like rock creature composed entirely of minerals. After cobbling together an ersatz form of communication, Grace and his unlikely new ally - now dubbed “Rocky” - set about trying to save their respective civilizations.

Every film lives and dies by its writing, and it’s here that Project Hail Mary soars. Little wonder, since the story is adapted - rather faithfully I might add - by Drew (Cabin in the Woods) Goddard from a novel by Andy Weir, who gave us the similarly-literate The Martian. The resulting airtight screenplay is realized with verve, patience and artistry by directing team Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. This is why the film unfolds like a good, engrossing book.

The list of the film’s assets are legion. The very versatile Ryan Gosling is both charismatic and relatable and it’s always refreshing to witness a protagonist undergo a genuine character arc. Obviously the relationship between Grace and Rocky is central to the films appeal, and James Ortiz as the voice and lead puppeteer of Rocky brings more personality to this ambulatory stone then most tentpole movie co-stars.

Another performance that deserves special mention is that of Sandra Hüller, who plays Eva Stratt, the non-nonsense project director. A more hackneyed script would likely have forced her and Ryland into some sort of awkward romantic relationship, but the film has more respect for reality and its audience. For me, Hüller’s karaoke scene is the emotional crescendo of the film and one of a whole host of  reasons as to why I love this film so much.

Add in some absolutely stellar special effects and a wonderful score by Daniel Pemberton and you’ve got a film that feels like the product of a bygone era. An era when audiences had attention spans and curios minds and hated to be infantilized. 

Please, for the love of everything holy, see this in the theaters. I beg of thee.

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