Project Hail Mary is an astonishing cinematic achievement that features stunning cinematography and visual effects, but it is the heartfelt, tender and hilarious screenplay paired with the brilliant performance of Ryan Gosling that delivers the best film of the year so far!

 

After both the critical and commercial success of 2015’s The Martian, it was not a matter of if another Andy Weir novel would make its way to the big screen, but when. While his novel Artemis was acquired by 20th Century Studios and put into development back in 2017, technical limitations have placed it on the back burner, making Weir’s 2021 novel Project Hail Mary the next of his stories to arrive on the big screen. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are no strangers to comedy or astonishing visual epics, being the minds behind the Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum starring 21 Jump Street and writing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which makes them the perfect fit for Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary. With the perfect casting of Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, Lord and Miller’s comedic stylings seamlessly blends with the tone of Weir’s novel and Gosling's natural comedic charm, that under their talented direction allows Project Hail Mary become a visually arresting cinematic experience bursting with heart, laughter and hope that results in an astounding cinematic experience that has to be witnessed on the biggest screen possible. 

 

Weir’s novel features his signature blend of technical scientific explanation, galactic adventure and humour, which makes Project Hail Mary ripe for a big screen adaptation. But it is no easy task to distill such a rich and technical story, but screenwriter Drew Goddard pulls off the impossible with his screenplay. Having previously adapted Weir’s The Martian, Goddard understands Weir’s tone and captures it with ease, distilling the essentials of the dense scientific explanations of Weir’s writing to an understandable baseline that maintains the gist of Grace and Rocky’s missions to save their planets and the complex science behind it while keeping the film’s pacing moving along at a brisk pace. Yes, there are elements of the story that are cut from the screenplay and lots of scientific explanation, giving a more streamlined version of the story that makes Weir’s novel superior, but Goddard’s writing has everything it needs to leave audiences with that same uplifting and awe-inspiring feeling that the novel does which makes for a perfect adaptation.
 

Balancing the dual timelines of the novel, Grace’s involvement in the Project Hail Mary mission as he slowly remembers it after waking up from his coma and his outer space mission, the film has great pacing that delivers a sense of wonder with world ending stakes, allowing time to fly by as Goddard’s writing hones in on the relationships at the core of the story. In the past, the professional relationship between Grace and Stratt is intriguing as Startt’s dedication to her mission as she grapples with the gravity of humanity’s predicament and the end of life on Earth as we know it should she fail comes across as almost emotionless, which creates a fascinating dynamic with Grace’s childlike giddiness.

 

But, it is the friendship between Grace and Rocky that is the beating heart of the film. From their first meeting and the sense of intrigue they each have in other after discovering another form of intelligent life in the universe, watching them learn each other’s languages to allow for communication between them, to the love that forms between these two individuals who find each other while all alone, it is their relationship that instills the film with its levity and hope. Grace and Rocky will have you chuckling as they become partners in crime on a mission to save the universe, but the emotion that Goddard writes between these two characters is tender, heartwarming and beautiful, that elevates the entire production to ensure that it is one unforgettable outer space adventure with two of the most lovable characters you have seen on the big screen. There is no question that Grace and Rocky are joining the line up of greatest cinematic friendships alongside the likes of Woody and Buzz, Sam and Frodo, Elliot and E.T., and Romy and Michele, as the bond Grace and Rocky is out of this world and ensures that Project Hail Mary is a crowd pleasing epic.

 

When reading novels, there are some characters that are so specifically written that you can only ever imagine one actor bringing them to life on screen, and Ryan Gosling is that to Ryland Grace. Grace’s comedic tendencies blend a goofiness and charm that Gosling naturally possesses and has shown time and time again on every press tour he’s done, making his performance as Grace feel completely natural. While his comedic timing is pitch perfect throughout the film, Gosling ensures that Grace is a vulnerable hero. At times overwhelmed by the situation he finds himself in but also willing to sacrifice himself to save humanity and his friend, Goslings brings to life this noble hero with an emotional honesty that portrays Grace as an everyday man achieving the impossible, creating a character that audiences can’t help but to root for. The relationship he creates with the Rocky puppet he is acting opposite on set is deeply moving, helping to create the film’s magic as Gosling makes you believe that Rocky is real. It’s hard to believe as Gosling has given so many great performances over the course of his illustrious career, but he is at the top of his game as Grace, delivering an emotionally beautiful and special performance that ranks among his best work to date. 

 

Sandra Hüller has an incredibly complex character to bring to life in Stratt, one that could be horribly misinterpreted with the wrong decisions, but she makes all the right ones. While quiet and seemingly emotionally detached from the situation at hand, Hüller portrays Stratt’s dedication to her mission with a resilience that allows Stratt to maintain her focus and not be distracted by the gravity of her undertaking. Her literalness makes for some wonderful moments opposite Gosling, generating some big laughs as she openly states how Grace is a mere small part of the larger mission who is pretty much expendable. But it’s all built upon an awareness of what she has to accomplish, knowing that the sacrifices she will make that will have some calling her a monster are for the greater good of saving humanity, and it is this delicate truth that Hüller uses to bring Stratt to life. It’s never more evident than during the karaoke scene in the film’s middle act, where Hüller breaks down Stratt’s walls and teases the emotional toll the weight of her mission is having on her while singing Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” in one of the film’s most poignant moments, also showcasing some great vocal pipes. James Ortiz’s work as the lead puppeteer for Rocky is exceptional, capturing a lively physical presence for this loveable alien in every frame of the film, while his voice performance encapsulates all of Rocky’s care, wonderment and inquisitive nature, creating the perfect pairing for Gosling’s Grace.