Project Hail Mary should become the blueprint of how good sci-fi is made. While other stories of its ilk tend to focus on the need for fantastical world building, and an emphasis on escapism, Project Hail Mary understands that to make good sci-fi – any good story, in fact – the foundation lies on endearing characters that, no matter how human or alien they may be, the audience can see themselves reflected in their souls. It’s something that filmmakers Lord and Miller know all too well from their success of the Spider-Verse films, transferring that level of heart and earnestness to deep space adventures.
Based on Andy Weir’s book of the same name, Project Hail Mary follows science teacher and molecular biologist Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a man whose deep love of science is only outmatched by his deep self-doubt. When the sun begins to dim, threatening to plunge the earth into another ice age within 30 years, Grace is recruited by European Space Agency administrator, Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to study the source of the dimming – an alien microorganism dubbed “Astrophage”. Grace, mulling the future of his students, takes on the challenge, leading him into deep space and befriending a spider-like alien that he names “Rocky” (voiced by James Ortiz) as the unlikely duo set about saving their respective homes.
Much like 2015’s The Martian – like this film, written by Drew Goddard – there is a kind of plucky aura surrounding the direness of the story’s conceit, much of it placed firmly on the shoulders of one Mr Ryan Gosling. Sure, the man has a face chiselled by the gods themselves, but Gosling imbues Grace with an oafish everyman spirit, supremely easy to endear an audience to, with just enough cowardice to be somewhat believable in his mission. Project Hail Mary is almost a one man act, with Gosling spending a hefty chunk of the film on his own or across from the Ortiz voiced Eridian, Rocky, and he wears the weight of the film with ease. It helps that he can power continents with his brand of charisma and subtle comedic timing, but still – not an easy feat.
Phillip Lord and Christopher Miller have made a name for themselves with their brand of comedy and animation, particularly in the last decade. And while Project Hail Mary does contain multitudes of their brand of humour, it’s also a distinct departure from their previous work. Oddly enough, it has more in common with Into the Spider-verse than any of their foray into live action, with the story ladened with a deep earnestness and sincerity that acts as the bedrock of the narrative. It’s funny when it needs to be funny without undercutting the seriousness or danger. Lord and Miller have crafted a sublimely warm sci-fi of the heart, a buddy film that is brimming with spirit, morphing into a kind of “boy and his alien” film, not seen since the likes of 1986’s Flight of the Navigator. It’s a crowd pleaser through and through – endlessly quotable (AMAZE, AMAZE, AMAZE is already entering the pop culture vernacular at light speed), a warm blanket of authentic and soulful storytelling. It also helps that it’s lensed by cinematographer wunderkind Greig Fraser.
At its core is a deep love of science and all things pertaining to. It might not have the same level of realism you’d find in The Martian, but keeping in line with Weir’s work, there is a deep adoration for the field. Grace loves science. It excites him beyond measure, and that excitement is infectious to those around him, even to the more immoveable figures like government agent, Carl (Lionel Boyce). Given the current state of the world we find ourselves in, where science is now considered opinion, and experts are met with scorn, it’s refreshing (almost leaning towards science fiction) to see a take where the protagonist is propelled by a sheer love of what they do. While being a junior high school teacher may not be the highest of vocations, Grace is deeply devoted to teaching his students the wonders of physics, chemistry and biology, knowing that knowledge today leads to a better tomorrow.
Project Hail Mary is intensely optimistic in the face of the apocalypse. While that strain of survivalist science, known to Weir’s work, very much runs through the DNA of the film, at its core, it’s a story about deep friendship and our own ability to underestimate even our own courage and bravery. While some might bristle at the thick layer of sentimentality, Project Hail Mary is the type of film that’s been sorely missing from the multiplexes as of late – deep science fiction fare with an even deeper love of humanity and all we’re able to achieve at its heart.
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