NOW IN THEATERS! In Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s popular novel, humanity’s last shot at survival rests on a mission sent far beyond the solar system. What begins as a desperate search for answers soon becomes an interstellar survival story built on science, innovation, and an unexpected alliance… You know… aliens.
Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes from a coma and is alone on a spaceship. He has been in a deep slumber while his ship has traveled across the galaxy for years. Unfortunately, his two crewmates have died along the journey. With his memory in a fog, the onboard AI helps him recall them.
Grace was a middle school science teacher and disgraced scientist with controversial theories about why the sun and stars in the galaxy were slowly burning out. Scientists had discovered that the sun was dimming due to a mysterious microorganism called Astrophage and that Earth was facing a slow freeze. Because Grace was able to reproduce the Astrophage in a makeshift lab, he is recruited by world government expert Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to help uncover a solution and join a desperate mission into deep space.
As Grace regains more of his past, he remembers that the Hail Mary mission was built to travel to Tau Ceti, one of the few stars unaffected by Astrophage, in hopes of finding out why and bringing that knowledge back to Earth. Alone and light-years from home, he begins searching for answers, only to discover that another ship has made the same journey. There, he encounters Rocky, an alien engineer from a distant world who is also trying to save his own civilization. Unable to speak the same language at first, the two slowly learn to communicate, compare scientific findings, and form an unlikely partnership built on necessity, curiosity, and trust.
Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace and Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt in PROJECT HAIL MARY, from Amazon MGM Studios.
Photo credit: Jonathan Olley
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“What begins as a desperate search for answers soon becomes an interstellar survival story built on science, innovation, and an unexpected alliance… You know… aliens.”
I have not read Andy Weir’s novel, so I’m coming at Project Hail Mary completely cold. I also have friends who read the book and, quite frankly, overhyped the movie for me. That said, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller deliver a wildly entertaining science-fiction adventure that keeps its tone surprisingly light, keeping the film from collapsing under its own end-of-the-world premise. I don’t know if we want to sit through an entire movie of hopelessness. Ryan Gosling is the key to making all of this work. He brings a warmth and optimism to Ryland Grace (with an ironic twist at the end).
What makes Project Hail Mary click is that it balances both science and suspense. Like The Martian, the fun comes from watching a smart character get dropped into one impossible problem after another and then watching him science his way out. First, there is the challenge of getting out there. Then, once the mission is underway, the problem becomes figuring out what is actually happening and how to stop it. Then the movie introduces Rocky, the alien counterpart, which raises entirely new questions about communication, trust, and cooperation. That progression is what keeps the movie moving. Every solution leads to another obstacle, and every obstacle forces the story into a new phase without losing momentum.
Then the film starts asking even bigger questions during its flashbacks on Earth. These questions explore themes of sacrifice and giving one’s life for a greater cause. This is where Project Hail Mary becomes more than just a slick sci-fi ride. It starts to play like a thought experiment, asking how this particular man would respond when every choice comes with a cost.
As a film, the practical sets and polished visual effects give the movie a grounded feel, while Rocky brings just enough charm to keep the whole thing human, oddly enough. Project Hail Mary must be seen on a massive IMAX screen… I mean the real one. Immersive is the word I want to use.
In the end, Project Hail Mary works because it is thrilling, smart, and emotionally engaging, turning a giant cosmic problem into an exceptional adventure. It earns its emotional payoff by making every problem, every choice, and every human connection matter.
"…Ryan Gosling is the key to making all of this work."
