There’s something familiar about Project Hail Mary. The sun is dying. The world is ending. A lone astronaut is sent on an interstellar journey to save humanity. It’s a combination of tropes that would seem to amount to a gloomy, contemplative space odyssey that might make you go, “Haven’t I seen this one before?” But this is not that film. It just about succeeds in charting a fresh path, with its familiarity feeling comforting instead of clichéd.
With its vibrant, comical tone from the outset, it’s completely transparent about what it is and what it’s trying to do. This makes sense considering the directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, have a background in comedy as the duo responsible for the Jump Street films, The Lego Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (an underrated gem, in my opinion, that works as an effective exploration of both the wonders of scientific pursuit and human innovation and the dangers of said pursuit, while also examining our tendency to choose pleasure and convenience without considering the consequences, but that’s a discussion for another day). Much of the humour is anchored by Ryan Gosling’s effortlessly charming performance. I’ve been under his spell for many years now, and even if this role feels reminiscent of a few of his comedic-leaning turns in recent times, it’s hard to complain when he’s so watchable. His character responds to everything in a quippy, slightly ironic way, keeping the film steadily amusing, although it’s a tradeoff for sincerity, which the film shies away from until deep into the runtime.
With Project Hail Mary, it’s Ryan Gosling’s turn to be lonely in space. He plays Ryland Grace, a scientist who wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or why on earth he’s not on Earth. This is ultimately just a storytelling device to explain the flashbacks (he’s regaining his memory), which serve as a way to deliver the exposition. We learn that he was recruited by the delightfully blunt Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to join the titular project, a last-ditch attempt to save the fading Sun. He now finds himself on a voyage through space, heading to a distant star. Mysteriously, it’s the last one that still shines bright, and he must do some of his best science to find out why.
The film is based on the novel by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, and is adapted for the big screen by the same screenwriter, Drew Goddard, which explains any similarities between the two. Weir is praised as a sci-fi author — perhaps sci should be in bold — who does extensive research to make the elaborate science in his books as accurate as possible. In the film, even with its 2.5-hour runtime, it’s only possible to preserve the science in a compressed form. It’s chewed up and fed to us in bite-sized nuggets that we can digest, making us feel smart. A lot of it, however, is glazed over. As someone who hasn’t read the book, nor who identifies as an expert in any of the fields explored, I’m not sure how much the film is, regrettably, forced to exclude. Weir’s scientific approach does mean that much of what’s on screen is plausible, giving you the feeling that you don’t have to suspend too much disbelief.
Eventually, Grace is stirred from his solitude when he makes an extraterrestrial friend, a rock-spider-like creature that he creatively names Rocky. Their first hurdle, which the majority of science fiction chooses to ignore for convenience, is to work out how to communicate. I commend the attention paid to the issue, but the method that Grace employs to translate Rocky’s language is woefully flawed and would only work if the grammar were identical to that of English. It’s known that my lifelong goal is to spread the word about Arrival and make as many people as possible watch it. Anyone who has been enlightened by this sacred text will be aware of the challenges in trying to communicate with aliens. Amy Adams’ Louise Banks, the greatest cinematic linguist, taught us that it’s not that easy.
Once Grace and Rocky get talking, and their bond deepens, the film attains a level of exuberance. The dynamic between the two becomes the star of the show. Watching them work together with their distinct physiologies and skillsets is a deep well of satisfaction. It’s easy to get invested in these characters, to root for them, and when they’re in peril, you feel it. The creative decision to bring Rocky to life using animatronics and puppetry in conjunction with CGI is a welcome touch. In the hands of different filmmakers, you can easily envisage the character being entirely CGI, which undoubtedly would’ve undermined the chemistry between him and Gosling.
Lord and Miller almost blasted off to a galaxy far, far away in 2018. They were initially set to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story before getting fired under hushed-up circumstances, which remain a mystery to this day. With Project Hail Mary, they get their chance to demonstrate that they can do space. They get some help from Greig Fraser, one of the hottest cinematographers in the game, who provides dazzling visuals, and Daniel Pemberton’s lively, melodic score, which sustains the film’s energy and elevates the grandiosity of climactic moments.
Strikingly, it’s a film that wallows in hope. The impending doom for the inhabitants of the movie’s Earth is a faint echo of the concern we may have for our planet, but Lord, Miller and co try their hardest to keep you immersed in this world, distracted, entertained, and clinging to the film’s optimistic inclinations. The apocalyptic event came about naturally; only the response is manmade, with humans (and alien) working together to find a solution. It’s not the kind of film to suggest that humanity is the orchestrator of its own downfall, but that we possess the abilities to save ourselves from any such scenario. Instead of a passionate call-to-action, it’s an inspiring celebration of human ingenuity, determination and collaboration, which is refreshing and perhaps just as necessary.
Project Hail Mary keeps you in your comfort zone, but that’s okay. It won me over, and I suspect that, had I watched it when I was 12, it probably would’ve been my favourite film (I mean this as a compliment, as I like to think that 12-year-old me had good taste). As a well-rounded, big-screen experience, it has the potential to stir a range of emotions, but it primarily shoots for joy… and hits the target.
CineLiterate 