‘Project Hail Mary’ Review

Coming from the directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the comedic duo behind ‘The Lego Movie’ and the ‘21 Jump Street’ films, ‘Project Hail Mary’ feels like a Steven Spielberg movie from the 70s or 80s, with its mixture of an optimistic sci-fi vision, practical effects, and a morally simplistic adventure.

What it lacks in thematic complexity, however, it more than makes up for in Ryan Gosling-powered humor and blockbuster popcorn entertainment that helps make the 2.5 hour runtime fly right by.

‘Project Hail Mary’ opens with Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), waking up from an induced coma on a spaceship, with only fragmented memories of why he is there, and why he is alone. Through a combination of present day action on the space ship and flashbacks, we learn that a microorganism called Astrophage has been discovered in the Sun, eating that star and threatening Earth with global calamity if nothing is done to stop it.

The governments of Earth have come together with what they call Project Hail Mary, devised by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) as humanity’s best hope of preventing the imminent catastrophe. A spaceship, with a small crew, will be launched on a suicide mission toward the only star nearby that seems unaffected by the parasitic Astrophage, with the hopes of discovering what makes that star special, and sending scientific probes back to Earth with their findings that will then be used to stave off planetary demise.

For reasons that are revealed over the course of the film, Dr. Ryland Grace, a former scientist and current school teacher, was recruited as the scientific officer on this mission. Awake and alone after the deaths of his teammates, Grace must quell his own self-doubt, gather all of the wits and bravery he possesses and complete the mission to save humanity.

I can’t imagine any other actor in the role of Ryland Grace, as Ryan Gosling carries the entire movie. Gosling’s movie star persona is unique and indelible, as he has leading man looks and charisma, but also exhibits silliness and a self deprecating sense of humor that somehow comes across authentic and relatable more than manufactured. As Grace, Gosling has moments of pathos, but much of the film’s addicting energy comes from his willingness to make fun of himself while alternating between the straight man and the funny guy.

As Gosling’s most frequent screen partner, Sandra Hüller is a perfect foil for Gosling’s comedic antics. While Gosling keeps things light and silly, Hüller is severe and determined, carrying more than any other person the full weight of this mission, the gravity of the problem they are facing.

‘Project Hail Mary’ follows 2015’s ‘The Martian’ as another adaptation of an Andy Weir novel, and continues to establish Weir’s genuinely held scientific optimism. These movies hold tight to a belief that, when faced with a planetary crisis, we would see the best of us as people of all nations put aside their selfish interests in order to work together, trust expertise, and do everything in their power to solve the given problem in the interest of our shared humanity. It is a touching thought, an aspirational one, that is perhaps in tension with our current geopolitical reality, but perhaps more necessary to see on screen for that very reason.

With this innately optimistic perspective and family friendly ambitions, ‘Project Hail Mary’ has moments that are a little too sentimental, too cutesy for my liking, even as I can understand the film is trying to reach a broad audience. There are moments where the film could have gone darker, could have made difficult narrative choices that would have resulted in a more poignant message, and yet at each opportunity the storytellers chose the happier option.

While it is perhaps not as meaningful as it could have been, opting more for breezy adventure than thoughtful science fiction, ‘Project Hail Mary’ is nonetheless an absolute blast of a film with Ryan Gosling at his movie star best.

Project Hail Mary
Rated PG-13 for some thematic material and suggestive references.
Running Time: 2 hours and 36 minutes

Director Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Writers Drew Goddard
Stars Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce
Rating PG-13
Running Time 156 Minutes
Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller