JONESING FOR FILMS

I have yet to read Andy Weir’s novels, but Ridley Scott’s 2015 adaptation of The Martian was one of my favorite films of that year, which made me excited for Project Hail Mary, especially when I learned that Ryan Gosling was starring and the film was being directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with Drew Goddard back adapting the screenplay.

The Martian took audiences to Mars, but Project Hail Mary goes much further out into space. Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace is sent as part of a team to the distant star Tau Ceti, 12 light years away, to research why it is the only sun in the galaxy that is not dying. He arrives alone, though, as the other two crew members in medically-induced comas for the 12 lightyear journey are deceased.

Coming out of the coma produces some short-term amnesia for Grace, and his past as a middle school biology teacher who ended up the farthest human away from planet Earth is revealed in pieces through flashbacks where he is recruited to help save the planet by Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), head of the Hail Mary project. When he arrives at Tau Ceti, he discovers that he is not alone, making first contact with an alien spacecraft piloted by a rock-looking alien with spider-like limbs from another planet with a dying star. Affectionately dubbing his newfound friend “Rocky” (voiced by James Ortiz), Grace and Rocky set out to try to bridge several obstacles dividing them and save their homes.

The story is about doing the work to figure out a “cure” for their dying suns, but it more about the bond of friendship that Grace and Rocky make over the course of working side by side. Both of them arrive alone and a very, very long way from home. The movie is as invested in the ways they bridge the language barrier and other obstacles as it is with them working the science problem. There is an odd couple energy to them that is mined for a lot of laughs and also some genuinely heart-felt moments as their camaraderie grows.

Not having read his books, I’m assuming Weir apparently has a talent for blending hard, grounded science with accessible storytelling and compelling central characters, because both this film and The Martian do an excellent job of making egghead science accessible, understandable, and entertaining for the general masses. For example, in one of the early flashbacks, we get to see Grace and an agent for the project, Officer Steve Hatch (Lionel Boyce), build two rooms to replicate the conditions of what is happening with the sun and Venus.

Generally speaking, this film is a crowd pleaser, the type to appeal to a very wide audience. It is funny, thrilling, and has emotional weight in moments too. Very early on, Grace holds a funeral for the two deceased members of his crew, even though he has little-to-no memory of have spent time with them in that moment. Nevertheless, it is a heavy scene as it puts not the weight of the mission on Grace’s shoulders, but it also is a stark reminder that he is alone on this mission at that point and operating without a net.

My one real ask when it comes to movies like this is that they capture the vastness and grandeur of space. There are a few scenes that Lord & Miller include that evoke the operatic feel of 2001: A Space Odyssey, like initiating the sequence to simulate gravity on the ship, or the very first time that Grace puts a space suit on, which is played for laughs but is also very relatable peering out into the void for the first time with no barrier between you and the infinite. The cinematography and the score add to the feeling that things are happening on a galactic scale, too. A late movie sequence where they embark on a risky but critical mission is awash in vibrant green and purple hues, like the whole thing is being done underneath the Aurora Borealis.

Gosling is an effortlessly funny actor, and he brings his standard charm and wit to the character of Grace, but he gets the chance to flex his other acting muscles in several scenes. In one scene where Grace does a space walk to capture some valuable samples, Rocky asks what Grace is doing when he stops to take in the view and the experience and he replies, “Having a moment.”

There is a very significant detail about the human expedition to Tau Ceti that is different from Rocky’s mission. This leads to perhaps the most emotionally charged moment of the film where Rocky offers Grace a significant gesture of kindness, and Grace breaks emotionally, because the offer is both a life preserver for him but also he fully understands the sacrifice the offer will mean for Rocky. Even thinking about it while typing this paragraph brings me to near tears because it’s a genuine act of love between these two beings who are now friends that is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional.

Which brings me to perhaps the best “lesson” of the film, as it were. Grace has some moments of self-doubt and what could be considered cowardice when he shrinks from the enormity of what is being asked of him. In the early funeral scene, speaking over the two other astronauts, he tells them that he will do his best for them, essentially to make their lives and sacrifice mean something. This contrasts with a flashback later on where he says he doesn’t have the bravery gene, and the captain of the mission, Capt. Yao Li-Jie (Ken Leung), tells him there is no such gene, you just have to “find someone to be brave for.”

I like this concept. It makes me think of the line from Three Kings, and how different it is in perspective from it, where Clooney tells his fellow soldier, “The way it works is, you do the thing you’re scared sh*tless of, and you get the courage AFTER you do it, not before you do it.” I’ve always liked that quote, but I think I now like this one more.

I went into this film expecting an epic sci-fi adventure. I did not expect to get what could already be the best buddy film of the year. Hitting pretty much every quadrant except for the romantic angle, Project Hail Mary is a crowd-pleasing popcorn flick that should have mass appeal. It’s a blockbuster, big-budget adaptation and is just as entertaining as The Martian was.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars