Lorelai Gango/The Mossy Log
On March 20, the sci-fi film “Project Hail Mary” was released to theaters in the United States, following its London premiere on March 9. The film, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, is an adaptation of author Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name. It stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt and James Ortiz as Rocky. I saw the film shortly after it was released and quickly fell in love with the film’s hopeful storytelling and its masterful design. This review contains spoilers, so read at your own peril.
“Project Hail Mary” follows middle school teacher and former molecular biologist Ryland Grace as he wakes up on a spaceship alone without his memory. Through a series of flashbacks and Grace’s own explorations, the audience learns that he was originally a part of a four-person mission to investigate a distant star that is immune to a microorganism, called astrophage, that is killing the Earth’s sun, along with many other stars that are in the Milky Way galaxy.
With his crewmates dead due to complications with their induced coma and a still-recovering memory, Grace is tasked with finding out why this distant star, Tau Ceti, is not dying despite also being affected by astrophage — and with coming up with a cure to send back to Earth. During this mission, he meets Rocky, an alien from a distant planet called Erid whose sun is also dying. Rocky and Grace learn to communicate with each other and work together to come up with a cure. The film emphasizes themes of friendship, collaboration and bravery, and is a refreshing take on a genre often drenched in tragedy.
Because I am a music appreciator, the first thing that stuck out to me when watching this movie was the score. Daniel Pemberton, known for composing the music featured in the “Spider-Verse” films, crafted a score full of light wind and string instruments, imbuing a sense of wonder and — pardon the pun — amazement into the story. For example, when Grace views the planet Adrian from outside the spaceship and the visual suddenly switches to infrared light to show the Petrova Line containing the astrophage, the score reflects not the terror nor the tension of the mission, but rather Grace’s absolute awe as he takes in the sight of a beautiful, undiscovered planet and the potential to save Earth.
Sound was a very intentional tool used in the film to create or ease tension. Several scenes showing the outside of the spaceship were completely silent, letting the audience sit with the disquieting absence of noise in space. In addition, the use of Rocky’s translation device was quite smart, and the choice to not translate what Rocky says when he reunites with Grace toward the end of the film felt only right. It allowed the two to have an intimate moment of understanding without an automated voice coming between them. And of course, I must shout out Hüller’s choice of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” during her character Stratt’s karaoke scene; no song could have worked better in that moment.
With such a small cast, it was imperative that performances were strong and chemistry was present on screen. “Project Hail Mary” demonstrated this in abundance. Gosling’s chemistry with each of his scene partners — Lionel Boyce, as well as Hüller and Ortiz — was vibrant and specific, as he crafted different relationships with each character. The relationship between Grace and Carl (Boyce) gave insight into Grace’s playful, inquisitive nature, while his relationship with Stratt added tension and weight to his psyche, allowing for a balance of seriousness and levity.
Of course, most impressive of all was Gosling’s chemistry with Ortiz as Rocky. The rock-like alien was made primarily using puppetry, with some uses of remote control and CGI, according to Variety. Ortiz, primarily a puppeteer on Broadway, was the lead puppeteer for Rocky, controlling his head and front arms during scenes with Gosling. They worked together on set as much as possible to make sure that the chemistry between Grace and Rocky felt real — and it certainly worked. The two space heroes share a bond of friendship and mutual admiration that is tender, strong and palpable.
The clear love put into developing Rocky and the sets was admirable and certainly part of what makes “Project Hail Mary” so special. Directors Lord and Miller wanted to make sure as little CGI was used in the film as possible, and they succeeded on an astonishing scale. Miller told The Hollywood Reporter that there were no green screens used in the sci-fi epic. Aside from Rocky being a real puppet, other standout moments of practical effects include the completely built interior of Grace’s spaceship, and the on-set lighting done by cinematographer Greg Fraser to give a more realistic and embodied feel to the shots of Grace in space.
While I cannot speak directly to the accuracy of the film as an adaptation of Weir’s novel, I can say that I found the storytelling uplifting. The scientific elements were carefully explained and easy to follow while still believable. The characters were well-grounded and interesting, and Grace’s initial fear subsiding into wonder was infectious. The film never lets the viewer be subsumed by despair — even at peaks of uncertainty, there is always an ounce of hope present. I also found the ending quite perfect — bringing Grace back to his roots as a schoolteacher, in a new home that does not label him as expendable.
“Project Hail Mary” received wide critical and audience acclaim and gained an energetic fanbase inspired by the hopeful themes of friendship and courage in the film. The film’s release also conveniently coincided with the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which spanned 10 days from April 1-10. This increased enthusiasm for both the film and the mission, prompting mission control to quote the film at one point during their mission in space.
Overall, “Project Hail Mary” is a triumphant, optimistic take on the science fiction genre, full of standout performances and brilliant design choices, encouraging a world where people come together in friendship and solidarity to make the universe a better place.
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