Science fiction can sometimes be a hard sell. It’s typically bleak or weird to the point that general audiences tend to shy away, even when the result is a very good movie.
But when science fiction hits a sweet spot, like in “2001,” “Star Wars,” or “E.T.,” it can showcase cinema at its very best.
“Project Hail Mary” is a science fiction movie that checks all of those boxes. Based on the best-selling novel by Andy Weir, who also wrote “The Martian” (which was adapted into another very good science fiction film), it has a very intriguing setup.
Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up from a medically induced coma on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he is in space. He is alone, with the exception of two dead crewmates, and only as he starts to regain his memory does he piece together that he is on a last-ditch mission, light-years from Earth, to try to stop a mysterious substance that is causing the sun to dim, with potentially catastrophic results.
As you can imagine, this movie lives or dies with Gosling. If you’re stuck in space with one person for over two hours, it had better be someone who makes it worth your time. Fortunately, Gosling has the ability to make you laugh and cry, sometimes in the same scene, and enough charm and charisma that he doesn’t need to share the screen at all.
Well, that’s not entirely true. In flashbacks, Gosling’s goofy energy plays well off Sandra Hüller, who plays the no-nonsense Eva Stratt, leading an international effort to rally the world’s greatest minds to save humanity.
He’s not really alone in space, either, as Grace makes first contact with an alien he names Rocky, thanks to his rock-like appearance. Rocky is on a similar mission, as his home world is suffering from the same problems as Earth. The odd-couple bromance between Grace and Rocky makes up the heart of the movie as they use lots and lots of science to try to save the day.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, best known for their work on beloved animated films like “The Lego Movie” and “Into the Spider-Verse,” do an excellent job of balancing laughs, heart, and wondrous spectacle.
“Project Hail Mary” is a thrilling movie with the emotional and visual punch that reminds you how great the theatrical experience can be.
This is a movie for everyone, with an unabashed optimism that gives you faith in humanity at a time when it seems to be in short supply.
“Project Hail Mary” is here to save the day, and it left me echoing Rocky’s enthusiasm: “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!”
“Project Hail Mary” is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and suggestive references.
