Project Hail Mary
While watching Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s popular novel, I thought about Roger Ebert. He said more than once that we lived in a world starving for new images, and while there’s a lot in “Project Hail Mary” that will feel familiar, Lord, Miller and Weir have new images in store, and they are a wonder to behold. It has been a decade since a science fiction film filled me with such a sense of imagination, and hope, for the enduring potential of human achievement. That film was Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival,” and while the two could not be any more different, they both come from the same place- the importance of communication, between countries, between people, and between lifeforms, for the betterment of the world. That is the power of movies for me- inspiring the audience with ideas, pulling them in with images, and then- if possible- delivering emotions that take us to a spiritual and emotional place we need to go, whether we knew it or not.
Science fiction is my favorite genre. It used to be more for the images and music it would provide, but over the years, the ideas have pulled me in, greater and greater, and the ways that filmmakers find emotion even in the most insane circumstances. In “Project Hail Mary,” we follow as a middle school teacher, Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling, in one of his best performances), wakes up from a coma. He has been asleep for years aboard the Project Hail Mary, a spacecraft being sent to a far off star. As we come to learn, as Grace tries to remember how he got there, the sun is dying. Or rather, it’s being extinguished by an organism that is feeding off of its energy. They’ve traced it to Venus; why is it going to Venus? A team of scientists- led by Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller)- is trying to figure that out. Why bring a teacher in? In a previous life, he was a scientist with some pretty wild ideas. How did he get on the mission, where he is now the only living member? We will figure that out, as he will, as the story goes along.
This is the second time Weir’s work has been adapted for the screen by Drew Goddard, a “Buffy” and “Lost” alum who might be the most gifted storyteller to come out of “Buffy.” He is able to make room for everyone in large ensembles, as well as get to the heart of the story. One of the most compelling aspects of “Project Hail Mary” is that, unlike Matt Damon’s character in “The Martian,” Grace’s character is brilliant, but also has a level of humility to him. As he goes through this situation, we see his intellect and his sense of invention, but also a sense that he’s just a regular person, thrown into an extraordinary situation. The range of emotions we see out of Gosling’s Grace means that the actor is feeling this character’s journey in his bones, whether it leads to wrenching emotion or silly physical or verbal comedy or genuine wonder.
Lord and Miller are fascinating choices for this film. Though they are best known now for shepherding the “Spider-Verse” animated films, their directorial career includes “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” the “Jump Street” films and the first “LEGO Movie.” “22 Jump Street” was their last directorial effort after they were fired off of “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” where evidently, their style of humor did not mesh with what LucasFilm wanted the film to be. Here, Weir’s narrative, as it comes through with Goddard’s script, is a perfect match for their sensibilities, both visual and narrative. That especially comes through when Rocky (voiced wonderfully by James Ortiz) comes into the picture. Rocky is part of a crew on the same mission, and like Grace, he’s all alone. Oh, and he’s a rock-like alien. Their planet is also looking for a solution, and after an awkward first few meetings where they are trying to get to know one another, and communicate, Grace and Rocky make a fantastic team. This is where the film really reminded me of “Arrival,” even though Rocky is definitely more fun and playful a character than Abbott and Costello are in the earlier film. Weir’s work is more in the realm of “hard sci-fi,” which is less fanciful, but Rocky doesn’t disjoint the tone of the film; if anything, he makes the film more authentic. He and Grace are in the same boat, and seeing them collaborate- and seeing Rocky’s enthusiasm- is one of the highlights of the film.
Roger Ebert once said about one of my favorite films that, in a world starving for new images, it was there to nourish us. “Project Hail Mary” is a film of the same ilk. The spaceships that carry both Grace and Rocky have unique styles to them that we don’t feel like we’ve seen, and the star, and planet, they have had to travel to are feasts for our imagination through the lens of cinematographer Greig Fraser. That so many of the sets were built on soundstages only adds to their inspiration, and the score by Daniel Pemberton is a thing of breathtaking beauty and heart. After decades of astounding us with space sequences in “2001,” “Interstellar,” “Contact” and so many more, there are two major sequences where Grace is having to get samples that are breathtaking in how beautifully crafted and tension filled they are. Every element comes together, and every emotion was felt.
At its heart, “Project Hail Mary” is a celebration of humanity’s drive to do the impossible. To do something that feels insurmountable, but finds a way to be accomplished anyway. And more importantly, it shows how sometimes, the people who feel the least confident in their responsibilities are the ones who are the only people who can get the job done. This is an immediate genre favorite for me.
