Like The Martian, Project Hail Mary is based on an Andy Weir novel with a script from Drew Goddard. Over a decade later, we still haven’t made it to Mars, but The Martian approached the concept in a way that still seems plausible. Something similar can be said about Project Hail Mary, even if the premise is even more of a stretch. In many ways, the film’s vision of the near future mirrors our present, as humanity risks extinction. The fate of our world hinges on Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) embarking on a space mission. Unlike Matt Damon, though, nobody’s coming to rescue Gosling.
Dr. Grace awakens on the ship, dubbed the Hail Mary, to find that the rest of his crew didn’t make it. Enduring amnesia, he slowly pieces together how he wound up in space, recalling being recruited by Sandra Hüller’s Eva Stratt. While Gosling and Hüller light up the screen, the film’s emotional anchor is the bromance between Grace and a gravely alien spider named Rocky, who’s mainly brought to life through practical effects with some digital animation. If Project Hail Mary gets a Best Visual Effects nomination, it’s only fair that lead puppeteer James Ortiz be included for his masterful work on Rocky. Ortiz also strikes just the right note as the voice of Rocky, although Grace initially gives him the voice of Meryl Streep. Between Project Hail Mary and Hoppers, it’s a good year for Streep voiceover cameos.
Even without the voice, Ortiz gives Rocky a personality through his body language alone, a feat all the more impressive considering that the character doesn’t have a face. Yet, Rocky is every bit as expressive as Gosling, who works off this puppet with the same commitment he’d bring to a film like First Man. It never feels like we’re simply watching an effect. We’re convinced that Rocky is the real deal. Whether or not intelligent life exists beyond our solar system, Project Hail Mary tackles timely global issues in ways that come off as surprisingly subtle.
Aside from the global warming parallels, the film is about working past language barriers to find common ground. In the case of Grace and Rocky, they not only find that their planets are both in jeopardy, but science is a universal language they both understand. Although Project Hail Mary is science fiction, it’s just as much a buddy picture. Also, like The Martian, it’s unexpectedly funny, with Gosling’s goofball charm complementing Rocky’s adorably curious nature. The humor never comes off as forced, either, with much of it grounded in how these two lovable characters work off each other.
Ridley Scott might not direct Project Hail Mary as he did The Martian, but Phil Lord and Christopher Miller prove to be excellent choices for this material. Lord and Miller’s playful sensibilities shine throughout, while simultaneously balancing gravitas with sincerity. In The Lego Movie, the duo moved us with a yellow brick. In Project Hail Mary, they melt our hearts with a rock. They’ve made a film that’s heavy in science, although it’s outweighed by emotion that feels earned. It’s a film that leaves you with more faith in humanity, as well as the cinematic experience.