Project Hail Mary
review by Bobby Blakey
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have been all over numerous great flicks with the duo directing both 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street as well as The LEGO Movie as well as writing and producing both of the Spider-Verse films. Now they are heading to space with their latest film Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub. Could this mission be one worth embarking on or will it not be worth space travel?
Project Hail Mary follows science teacher Ryland Grace who wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
I have heard great things about this film, but for whatever reason I just wasn’t overly excited to see it and can’t tell you why. Now that I have been on this space mission, I can say that the hype is spot on, but it’s not without its flaws. The film wastes no time getting right into the meat of it all and instantly creating mystery to what and how this all came together. The story is crafted with multiple layers bouncing from the current space mission and the events that led up to it.
This back and forth can be annoying in some formats and doesn’t always work here, but it’s crafted in a way that it is used to reveal things within each moment of the mission to success. The biggest reveal being how he got aboard the mission and its ramifications and impact of how it all ends made it more effective. We have seen hundreds of films that feature this type of story, but it takes things in a castaway like direction complete with a new friend that takes the film to new heights.
The pacing early on is hit and miss with it feeling repetitive initially. I found myself getting a little bored at one point feeling it just wasn’t getting anywhere fast, but once Rocky comes into the picture and the mission itself gets back in line it is outstanding for the rest of the film. There are so many layers here and way more humor than I had expected, but not in a silly way. Through it all the unlikely friendship that is born really carries this film and Rocky is easily one of my new favorite otherworldly characters.
His design is simple, yet complex and his personality could have been handled in a way that got old fast, but he is so charming and sweet you can’t help but love him. The interactions between Gosling and him are the heart of it all and really take this film into uncharted space while still being familiar. The mission itself is intense and has real stakes even when they choose to go the safe route on some of it.
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The real success and need for this film to work is the sets and visuals that are all outstanding. The space sequences are filled with moments of a beautiful void and vibrant colors that are a treat for every sense. This is the kind of movie that needs to be seen in the biggest and loudest theater possible. The score and sound design added even more to the experience, leading to a truly great and nearly perfect film.
Decide for yourself and check out Project Hail Mary in theaters now from Amazon MGM Studios