Since the post-COVID era, people have been saying that movies aren’t the same anymore. Sequels and (live-action) remakes dominate the box office, and original and non-franchise films struggle to draw a large audience. With Project Hail Mary, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller prove pessimistic cinema skeptics wrong, delivering a spectacle in cinematography and a surprisingly emotional exploration of the relationship between Ryan Gosling and an alien rock.
Project Hail Mary, an adaptation of Andy Weir’s science-fiction novel of the same name, follows Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling), a middle school science teacher turned lone surviving astronaut, as he travels through space toward a distant star, hoping to save life on Earth from a star-dimming organism called Astrophage. Eventually, Grace finds a partner when he encounters an alien spacecraft and its lone survivor, whom he warmly nicknames “Rocky.” The two, once they overcome the communication and extra-terrestrial language barrier, work together to save their respective planets.
In his Saturday Night Live (SNL) monologue last month, Gosling said people are describing the film as “E.T. meets Interstellar.” While the nature of his tone was ironic, and it may seem like a bold claim, it’s not that far off. It contains the spectacular visual elements and emotional, lonesome moments of Interstellar, and the heartwarming—at times heartbreaking—friendship between a human and an extra-terrestrial.
Relationships are truly the core of this film. We see Grace’s existential dread as he floats alone through the galaxy, barely remembering his life before, to a playful annoyance at his companion, who inhabits his ship. Their dynamic is the emotional engine of the story, and the reason for the laughs and sniffles heard in theaters throughout the film. Back on Earth, mission leader Eva Stratt’s relentless pragmatism provides a stark counterpoint to Grace’s unraveling of humanity in space.
The film thematically orbits around duty and identity. It asks what we owe one another when the stakes are high and what becomes of a person when their purpose is larger than life. It also raises the question of what a hero actually looks like. Heroism may be found in grand gestures, or it may be found in the reluctant, sacrificial choices made by ordinary people. With the aid of science-fiction elements, it shows how connection can survive in extreme circumstances.
If you’re looking for a film that leaves you with something to laugh about and to sit with afterwards, Project Hail Mary delivers just that.