When I first saw that “Project Hail Mary” was coming to theaters, it piqued my interest. Space, Earth in peril, scientific problems, spaceships, different planets and of course, Ryan Gosling — all elements added together promised a good and enjoyable movie. I had never read the book by Andy Weir, so I was curious what exactly this movie would entail. Going in, I thought I was just going to be watching a space movie with Ryan Gosling. I had moderate expectations, neither expecting it to be terrible nor great. Never did I expect “Project Hail Mary” would be one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.
The movie was incredible. With its stellar use of sound, dedication to practical effects, limited CGI, heartfelt story centered on connection and life, and goofy costumes (particularly from Dr. Ryland Grace, the main character), the film’s parts perfectly complemented one other. Even the use of Harry Styles’ song “Sign of the Times” added to the film’s themes of community and hardship. It is also fun to note how song has become a kind of anthem for the film, according to Gosling, who plays the protagonist Grace.
One of my favorite parts of the film was the use of sound. I was completely awestruck by it. In the most devastating or tense moments in the movie, they opted for silence, and it sucked you in. I can remember hearing the breaths of people around me in these moments and how that pulled me even deeper into the story and the life of Grace. It was beautiful.
Another one of my favorite parts about this film was its emphasis on connection and humanity. Despite this being a movie set in space and including alien first contact, this movie does a remarkable job in portraying a real human. Grace is a middle school science teacher, who is incredibly smart, but terrified of just about everything. He’s self-conscious, isolated and fearful, and placed in an impossible situation where he has to figure everything out himself. And the way he handles it isn’t perfect; throughout the movie you see Grace wrestling with cowardice and bravery and what it looks like to not be controlled by fear. One of the most beautiful things about it is how the journey is affected by Rocky, his wonderful new space friend. Grace’s friendship with Rocky teaches him how to be brave and where the courage for bravery comes from. In one of the flashbacks during the movie, one of Grace’s fellow astronauts confronts Grace’s comments on genetic bravery saying, “There is no gene. You have to find someone to be brave for.” Grace learns this through his friendship with Rocky.
It truly is a heartfelt movie about connection, life and fear, and it explores each topic with such grace and purpose that it leaves the viewer feeling wholesome and hopeful.
I haven’t even mentioned the steady and light-hearted comedy inspiring smiles throughout the film; the kind of comedy that directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, are well-known for, especially in their film "The Lego Movie" and their work as producers for the "Spiderverse" movies. While “Project Hail Mary” wrestled with many dark themes such as isolation, loneliness, and grief, it was beautifully contrasted with Grace’s humor. Whether that was creating a spaceship out of Ramen, naming probes after the Beatles, or thumbs down becoming the new thumbs up.
Overall, "Project Hail Mary" was a beautiful film and worthy of anyone’s time. I truly think that like Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” this will become one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time (“Project Hail Mary” is currently rated even higher than “Interstellar” by critics at 94%). So, while you can, go watch it on the big screen and bring your friends and family. In the words of Styles, “Have the time of your life breaking through the atmosphere,” and go “somewhere far away from here.”
Photo designed by Hope Brittenham; Elements by Dam0812 and Aperture Vintage on Unsplash