Review of film ‘Project Hail Mary’
Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Screenplay: Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce
Genre: Sci-fi/ Adventure
Cert: 12A
4.5 Stars
Just to preface, I have never quite gotten the wow factor that surrounds Ryan Gosling.
For whatever reason of personal taste, I could never glean any real enjoyment from the Canadian actor’s work since I first became aware of him back in 2011 in the George Clooney-led The Ides of March and the much-loved Drive of that same year.
I also tend to find tales set in the depths of outer space to be generally on the duller side; I hold Stanley Kubrick on an unshakeable pedestal, but even his groundbreaking 2001: A Space Odyssey ranks as my least favourite of that great master’s oeuvre.
So, when I decided to venture out to see Mr Gosling play a man awakened from a memory sapping coma in a far-flung galaxy, my prediction was to squander an afternoon, followed by a negative review to warn like-minded folks not to waste their precious time and money.
Oh, deary me, I don’t think I have ever been so happy to be so wrong in all my life!
Project Hail Mary is quite literally out of this world, a sci-fi and adventure classic that makes me want to proclaim it this generation’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Indeed, it has all the adventure and jovial tenderness of 1980s Spielberg but in the capable hands of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have now surely made their greatest contribution to live action cinema to date.
We are introduced to Ryland Grace (Gosling) as he awakens from his womb-like oxygen bag onboard the interstellar spacecraft Hail Mary. We learn that he, unlike his fellow deceased space travellers, has been induced into a coma.
Grace has lost his memory but soon realises that he possesses an incredible scientific ability while simultaneously being woefully underprepared for space travel. He is alone with only his sentient spaceship to help him fill in the gaps. For now.
Grace cuts a Messianic figure in the opening scenes, and we soon learn that he is quite literally expected to be humanity’s ‘Saving Grace’ on a long-shot voyage to alter the path of humanity’s downfall.
So, what’s all the bother back on the old blue ball?
The Petrova line, no less.
The Petrova line has been allowing microorganisms known as ‘Astrophage’ to conduct from Venus to the Sun, causing the latter to dim and dooming humanity to an ice age within 30 years if nothing can put a halt to this strange phenomenon.
Astronomy aficionados may well ask why this microorganism would not attach itself to the much nearer Mercury rather than Venus?
Well, don’t worry, the film covers this satisfactorily. In fact, that is one of the great enjoyments of Project Hail Mary, in that the science-speak does not appear to be overly contrived and explains all the textbook mumbo-jumbo in a manner that would please both younger and older Sheldon alike.
Flashbacks drive the plot and reveal our hero is a once renowned molecular biologist who is plucked from his comparatively modest existence as a middle school science teacher by stern government agent Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller). Grace has found his calling to help on the science side of saving the world but gets more than he has signed up for.
Grace’s lonely voyage is interrupted by an extra-terrestrial visitor who shares the common goal of saving his planet. He is called Rocky by his host, and they manage to communicate using art, mathematics and technology while gradually building up a hilarious and tender friendship during their time together.
An intergalactic bromance, if you will.
So, what’s the message this film is trying to get across?
Well, apart from excelling in good old-fashioned storytelling with amazing visuals, it’s a salient study in what we are willing (or not) to sacrifice as a species for one another and, perhaps more importantly, what we are willing to justify doing to each other to achieve a greater good.
In this vein, the film explores the utilitarian ethical argument: is doing wrong the right thing sometimes if the many benefit? It investigates themes of sacrifice, bravery, loyalty and cultural unity alongside this question.
It’s impossible to watch a modern extinction event film and not be drawn to our preoccupation with climate issues. At one point Grace says, “I ride a bike for work, and it’s not for exercise.” An implicit statement to say he is not on board with sustainable living? That if he had his choice, he would take the more comfortable options in life?
In a subsequent scene it is reckoned that the world will survive a little longer if rationing of food takes place, but it is accepted that humanity simply does not possess enough willingness for cooperation as a united effort.
The coming together of Grace and Rocky then is a powerful metaphor that our existence relies on one another, that we must look beyond our immediate communities, and that we must work together in unison, finding ways to communicate ideas and reaching common ground to battle the shared problems that affect us all.
Project Hail Mary is a stunning sci-fi adventure for all the family, is made for the big screen, is two and a half hours long, and you’ll wish it were longer.
Shane McCormack
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