Ryan Gosling’s effortless charisma carries the charm in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film adaptation of “Project Hail Mary,” a science-fiction adventure story with comedic roots.
Based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, “Project Hail Mary” is an easily digestible feel-good film, earning acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
Lord and Miller are no strangers to big-screen hits, having worked on three major franchises: “21 Jump Street,” “Spider-Verse” and “The Lego Movie.”
As writers and producers of the 2018 film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” they took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It is tied for their highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, sitting at 97%. By comparison, “Project Hail Mary” sits at 94%.
The “Spider-Verse” duology showcases creative genius that expands the boundaries of what regular superhero movies have to offer. While that wasn’t the case here, as the film isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary in comparison to science fiction films like Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” in terms of plot, that’s not what makes it stand out.
Cinematographer Greg Fraser, who’s worked on Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films and Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” utilized the outer-space setting to its utmost potential, making for gorgeous shots throughout.
The editing is also a highlight, particularly in the first half of the film, as there are sporadic cuts to coincide with protagonist Ryland Grace (Gosling) regaining his memory. Pacing is strongest here, balancing the past and present timelines with creative transitions.
The intermittent flashbacks grow a little tiresome in the latter half of the film, but Grace’s brief relationships with Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) and Carl (Lionel Boyce) are interesting enough to unpack.
But of course, the biggest strength in “Project Hail Mary” is its portrayal of Grace’s dynamic with an alien from the planet Eridani, whom he names Rocky.
Lord and Miller bring all the emotions to this relationship, and it becomes the focal point of the film for about two-thirds of the runtime. James Ortiz voiced Rocky and served as one of his five puppeteers.
While Gosling had to act without a human scene partner for the majority of the film, one helping hand to feel more engrossed in the story was the use of practical effects. There was no use of green screen or blue screen; instead, the film prioritizes sets of the spacecraft, according to Miller.
Still, I’m not sure any other actor could have pulled off the role of Grace as perfectly as Gosling, who delivered an unabashedly vulnerable performance.
Grace goes on a complete arc throughout the film, finding his reason to be brave in Rocky as they work together to save their respective planets. The humor is a bit much at times, and some lines are pretty cheesy, but for the most part, Grace and Rocky feel like long-time best friends.
In concept, the situation Grace finds himself in to save the Earth from the sun dying is dire, but the tone of the story remains consistently light-hearted. This is a welcome choice, as Rocky and Grace’s mission is mostly framed as hopeful.
This may be because Grace had already accepted that the sun was dying, but either way, this air of hope helps justify the PG-13 rating. By holding back the themes of Earth refusing to ration food to live longer, the film fits a family-friendly tone.
I saw this one with my dad, and while he couldn’t get behind the concept of a talking rock, we both still had a blast, as “Project Hail Mary” will surely wow anyone looking for a fun time at the movie theater.
