Project Hail Mary

Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is on a mission to save Earth in Project Haily Mary (Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios)

Every once in a while, a movie will come along that reminds us of why we go to the movies. Project Hail Mary is one like that. It is big, dramatic, smart, funny, exciting, transportive, magical and just plain entertaining. Based on the fantastic 2021 novel by Andy Weir, it captures the surprisingly moving emotions of the book and adds a visual beauty that can only be suggested on the page. There is a humanity to its story of reluctant heroism and unexpected bonding that is especially impressive when you consider that most of the 151-minute run-time (minus the end credits) consists of a single actor on a small spaceship set.

It comes off as old-fashioned in the way the filmmakers don’t feel the need to constantly throw things at the audience. There is not a lot of CGI action or explosions here. It is just a good story, told with unintrusive visuals and a strong lead performance, perfectly suited to the material. The length may seem intimidating, but it flies by, feeling about half that long. This is tremendous entertainment.

Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship far from Earth, with no memory of who he is or why he is there. As his past gradually comes back to him via flashback, he stumbles upon a chance meeting with another lifeform that could change existence everywhere forever.

The novel Project Hail Mary was written by the same author behind The Martian, which was turned into a 2015 movie directed by Ridley Scott. There are definitely similarities. They are both about a man alone in space, who expects to die out there. The heroes are intelligent, creative and have a goofy, self-deprecating, “laugh so I don’t cry” attitude. Both stories have a large interest in the science part of sci-fi, though this one veers a bit from that in its second half.

I hate saying “if you liked A, you’ll like B” because I tend to find one-to-one comparisons unreliable. However, if you liked The Martian, the odds are high that you’ll also really enjoy Project Hail Mary. It has the same sense of humor, as well as the same spirit of involuntary adventure. Yet there is something deeper in the central relationship that transcends genre and makes it special.

If you want to know nothing about this, besides that it is very good, stop reading now. Mild spoilers (that are revealed in the trailer) ahead. While Grace’s attempts to figure out how to survive on the ship and the flashbacks to why he is there are interesting, things truly reach another level when his trip is interrupted by the appearance of a second ship. It turns out that this vessel also contains a single lifeform. Grace names him Rocky and, once they learn how to communicate with each other, they discover that they are a long way from their homes on parallel missions to save their respective planets. These two completely different beings find common ground in their loneliness and begin to work together.

The bond that develops between Grace and Rocky is genuinely touching. These are two beings with the weight of their entire species hanging over them. They are scientists and you can feel the thrill as they uncover the mysteries of the universe, together. It is such an unexpectedly beautiful story. Even though I already knew where it was going, I was still caught up in their journey. Ryan Gosling is very charming, as usual, and Rocky’s design is exotic and endearing, without being cutesy.

There is so much more I could say about the pacing and writing, but, instead, I’ll just say go see Project Hail Mary. It is the most fun I’ve had in a movie theater in a long time. It is a thrilling ride that is absolutely worth taking.

4½ out of 5

Cast:

Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace

James Ortiz as Rocky

Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt

Lionel Boyce as Carl

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Screenplay by Drew Goddard