If Project Hail Mary was a dog, it would probably be a Golden Retriever. I had a delightful time at IMAX Melbourne with this fun, energetic and big-hearted cosmic adventure that combines goofiness and smarts.
I’ve been watching lots of small and artsy movies lately as well as black-and-white films, so this vibrant sci-fi blockbuster, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, was a welcome change of pace and scale. This kind of non-comic book crowd-pleaser was once a cinema staple, but now I’m probably not going to the IMAX this year again until Nolan’s Odyssey and the third Dune movie (fingers crossed for both).
I haven’t read Project Hail Mary the book, but I suspect that my impression would be the exact replica of my reaction to The Martian: I loved the film but wasn’t as enamoured with the original novel. I found the book heavy on science and problem-solving and short on pretty much everything else, and Weir’s juvenile sense of humour got on my nerves after a while. Despite the existential stakes of the story, Project Hail Mary has a decidedly jokey tone, but in the hands of Lord and Miller the humour and silliness is mostly effective and endearing, and mixed in with moments of genuine pathos. Book fans would probably prefer more science, but I thought the movie made a good call with a greater emphasis on emotion and fun.
It all begins with amnesia. Ryland Grace, a science teacher and inexplicably a loner despite having the looks of Ryan Gosling, wakes up alone on a spaceship. He has no recollection of who he is or why he finds himself light years away from Earth, but as his memories slowly return, so does the sheer scale of his mission. A bunch of space-faring parasites are feeding on the sun, causing it to dim. The humanity’s prospects are very grim indeed, unless Grace can solve the riddle of the sun in another star system that is mysteriously immune to the critters.
Project Hail Mary has the same optimistic and upbeat view of science, human spirit and ingenuity as The Martian, but where it differs is in an unlikely but heartwarming buddy dynamic. It turns out that humans are not the only interstellar species with a sun problem, and Grace establishes contact with an alien he nicknames Rocky, who likewise finds himself alone and a long way from home. The relationship that gradually develops between Rocky and Grace is the beating heart of the movie, as the two share the sense of curiosity, love of problem-solving and gratitude for not being alone in all of this.
Wonderful Sandra Hüller is a scene-stealer as the head of Project Hail Mary in Earth-set flashbacks, but the movie is essentially a one-man show. You really couldn’t do better than Ryan Gosling, who brings charisma, dramatic chops and his own unique brand of charmingly anxious energy. He is believable both as a man completely out of his depth, and a man who can rise to the occasion. He has chemistry, funny banter and affecting quieter scenes with what’s basically a giant space crab made of rock. For a creature that lacks eyes or any kind of facial features, Rocky is astonishingly expressive and lovable; kudos to the voice work and real-life puppetry that brought him to life.
There’s no place like IMAX to feel the vastness and awe of space, and Project Hail Mary is not short on wow moments, including a stunning action sequence set above a gas planet that’s unlike anything else I’ve seen in a sci-fi movie before. I also loved the real and tactile feel of Grace’s spaceship interior, with practical sets and effects blended seamlessly with the CGI.
The movie is not perfect; though its humour mostly lands, on a couple of occasions I felt like it all got a bit too cute. It also takes a gamble with a crucial reveal about Grace’s part in the mission way late into the story, whereas normally it would be revealed early on to set up a character arc. While I liked what it revealed about Grace and the nature of heroism, I didn’t think that the placement quite worked. It was clearly meant to set up a test for Grace – and again I liked the test – but it also made the movie feel overlong with multiple endings. I might have less issues on a second viewing, and ultimately this little hiccup didn’t truly harm what overall is a disarmingly sincere and entertaining movie.
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