Project Hail Mary Is the E.T. of a New Generation (Review)
In a cinematic landscape mostly plagued by cynicism and IP fatigue, Project Hail Mary arrives not a second too soon.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have delivered what might be their biggest and most accomplished project yet, an almost-perfect film that I believe is the E.T. of this generation.
Based on the sci-fi novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary follows middle school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who learns that a mysterious cosmic phenomenon known as the Petrova line is causing the Sun to slowly dim, an event that could plunge the Earth into an ice age within 30 years. While he initially reassures his students that scientists will find a solution, that responsibility soon lands on his shoulders.
Driven by the relentless former European Space Agency administrator Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), Grace is recruited for a desperate mission that may be humanity’s only chance at survival, and likely a one-way trip into space. The film shifts between the events leading up to the mission and Grace waking up alone aboard a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there. As his memories slowly return, he realizes he may be Earth’s last hope.
Thankfully, Grace is not alone. He encounters an alien lifeform he names Rocky, and together they must complete the mission to save both of their planets.
I went into this film completely blind, aside from hearing my friends rave about the book for months. I wrongly assumed it would be a fairly typical space adventure, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
What we already knew was that Ryan Gosling would deliver an impressive performance, and thankfully, that holds true. He brilliantly leads the film, proving once again that he is truly one of the best leading men of our era. Gosling taps into the comedic timing we saw in The Nice Guys while also channeling the sincerity that recalls some of his earlier dramatic work. He carries much of the film on his shoulders, quite literally acting opposite a rock, and still makes it charming and compelling. Even when the script occasionally relies too heavily on humor, his emotional depth comes in clutch during the film's quieter moments.
Expectedly, Sandra Hüller and Lionel Boyce have much less screentime, but they still deliver strong performances with subdued humor that contrasts Gosling's energy.
Though the emotional core of the film lies elsewhere: the relationship between Grace and the Eridian, Rocky. Their bond is the heart of the film, and it is what drives the comparison to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, rather than Interstellar. At its core, Project Hail Mary is about connection and how it can be the only thing that can truly sustain life.
It has been a while since we have had a big blockbuster family film that genuinely works for both kids and adults. Many films either talk down to their audience or try so hard to outsmart that they end up alienating them. Project Hail Mary comes as the perfect balance.
And in a world that’s still recovering from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that kept people apart in ways we’re still processing, the film feels right on time because it addresses a culture increasingly defined and infected by individualism. Although some would argue it is overexplained, to me, beneath the extravaganza of its space adventure is a surprisingly heartwarming story about the meaning of the universe.
Visually, the film is stunning. Watching it in IMAX felt essential. The movie balances large-scale visuals with simple, childlike graphics for comedic effect. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller reportedly avoided unnecessary VFX techniques, instead building the spacecraft as a fully practical set. This allowed Greig Fraser, the cinematographer behind The Batman and Dune, to light scenes naturally, giving the film a classic look that made watching it in IMAX all the more fascinating. Additionally, the score by the duo’s longtime collaborator Daniel Pemberton was brilliant, and the soundtrack, filled with both classic and modern hits from the Beatles to Harry Styles, adds so much charm to the experience.
By the time the credits rolled, the audience in my theater didn't move. Even the end credits were visually and aurally stunning enough to hold everyone in their seats.
Although it is hard to nitpick, the script was the weakest link. There were moments when the humor disrupted the flow of the scenes. And in the third act, the script itself loses momentum with what seemed like a lot of fake endings. This would not come as a surprise to fans of the book, but because this is a film, the pacing felt a bit off for a movie that is two and a half hours long.
A delight and an indulgence for every sense. It is a guarantee that this film will be a future classic and most definitely an award contender for the next season.
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