This review contains some spoilers for Project Hail Mary, though nothing that isn’t shown in the trailers.
An Andy Weir sci-fi epic, brought to life by the genius of Phil Lord and Chris Miller? That’s what you’re getting with Project Hail Mary, out today, which almost sprints off the page in an effort to bombard your eyes with a smorgasbord of pretty colours, great acting from all involved, and a story that’s brimming over with heart.
That’s why our eyes are wet, damnit.
A lotta heart
Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, an astronaut and biologist with amnesia aboard the ‘Hail Mary’ in the depths of space — humanity’s last hope for salvation. Slowly, memories begin to return to Grace, who remembers that Earth is plagued by the Petrova Line that is slowly but surely dimming the Sun. It’s a whole lot more science-y than that, but we digress. Earth’s Sun isn’t the only star ‘infected’ in the local neighbourhood.
All except for one, a good few light-years away. Grace is sent on a one-way trip to discover what sets it apart, and send his findings back before Earth is killed off in an ice age. The stakes are astronomical, leaving a lot riding on our sole little astronaut. Well, sole for a while. The real heart of the movie is Rocky (James Ortiz), an intelligent alien seeking a solution for the Petrova Line, who encounters Grace and quickly strikes up a cutesy friendship.
On the surface, Project Hail Mary might seem like it’s about Earth’s last hero, trapped in space and looking for a way to save the world. It’s an Andy Weir story, what did you expect? Well… not for Project Hail Mary to be a buddy sci-fi adventure. That bit threw us for a loop when reading the book, and we imagine it’d do the same for watchers here. It’s a pity that the trailers give us a glimpse of Rocky at all — and so much else — but we get it.
Read More: Send Help review – Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien keep Raimi’s latest afloat
We may not like it, but we get it. If that gets more butts in seats, so be it. And make no mistake, Rocky will get seats in butts. He may be a cutesy alien, but it’s his bond with Ryland Grace that makes the movie, instead of breaking it. Their connection is heartfelt, elevated only by the fact that Rocky felt real. That’s a theme here.
As far as adaptations go, Project Hail Mary does a pretty good job of it. It trims some of the science-y fat that’s present in the book, and does a decent job of demonstrating the stakes in a timely manner. The creators are clearly eager to give the audience as much time with Rocky as possible, and it’s very clearly the right move.
Space buddies
Project Hail Mary simply would not work without charismatic Ryan Gosling in the lead. He’s arguably the only person for the job — mimicking Ryland Grace’s own journey in the film. Andy Weir sent Gosling a manuscript back in 2020 — before the book was ever published. Gosling’s position has been clear ever since.
Gosling embodies the middle school teacher-turned-astronaut with ease. Well, if Andy Weir had him in mind from the word go, that makes sense. Gosling delivers an equally hilarious and heartfelt performance that can’t be ignored. His timing is down pat, hitting just about every note Phil Lord and Chris Miller threw his way.
Equally important, if not more so, is Rocky. A CGI-ridden mess might’ve alienated audiences more than drawn them in. Then there’s the fact that he’s a rock spider without eyes. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, determined to keep that wackiness, had a Rocky puppet physically built — courtesy of Neil Scanlan. Pulling off the Hail Mary itself, making it feel real, was just as much of a priority for the directing duo. And it shows.
Not only was every aspect of the Hail Mary fretted over with real spaceflight applications in mind, but it also avoids the shortfalls that regularly plague spaceships in film. Gone are the bland, overly white halls and big windows. Instead, it’s replaced by something that feels real, thrown together in record time by a civilisation running out of time. Many of the sets are practical, too, allowing Gosling to move about freely.
Read More: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review – Bloody good time
It’s worth mentioning that Project Hail Mary is funny. That’s about par for the course in Weir’s writing, but it’s clear that the humour was dialled up for the big screen. This isn’t Drew Goddard‘s first time dancing with a Weir story, having already adapted The Martian in 2015. Both Goddard and Weird have grown since then, lending their newfound skills to develop a script we felt rarely missed the mark.
Thankfully, the humour never detracts from the more emotional bits, which are given their moments to breathe when appropriate. It’s the relationship between Grace and Rocky that’ll draw audiences in, and it’s what will stick with them longest.
If you’ve seen the trailers, then you’ll already know that Project Hail Mary is visually stunning. It may cash in on some of those moments in the trailer a little early for our tastes, but what can you do? Still, nothing beats seeing them in person — in theatre, if you can — as you allow the colours and, importantly, the score to wash over you.
We’d be lying if we said we didn’t crank out this review with composer Daniel Pemberton’s utterly epic score to guide us. It’d make sense that he handled Project Hail Mary after all his work that went into the Spider-Verse movies (and countless others) — another Phil Lord and Chris Miller creation. That alone should tell you that Project Hail Mary nails the wacky but still awesome space notes required. If not… then we just did.
Project Hail Mary verdict
You watch, question? Well, yes. Preferably on the biggest screen you or your wallet can muster. Stuff made do with Nu Metro’s definitely-not-IMAX screens. No matter. We’re already planning a visit to see Project Hail Mary in all its glory at IMAX. It’s well worth the price of admission and, dare we say it, popcorn and a drink.
Project Hail Mary begins its local theatrical release tomorrow, Friday, 20 March.
