In what was described by the emcee at the screening as “the best parts of The Martian and Interstellar mixed meets Cast Away,” Ryan Gosling returns to space in Project Hail Mary, the latest movie from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, two of the driving forces behind the highly successful animated Spider-Verse series.
This is Hollywood's latest adaptation of one of Andy Weir's novels, after Ridley Scott and Drew Goddard teamed up to direct and write The Martian in 2015. Evidently, Goddard understands Weir's language, writing the movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary.
Project Hail Mary is Lord and Miller's first directorial effort since 22 Jump Street in 2014. It's easy to forget they're responsible for rejuvenating the franchise with hilarious 21 and 22 Jump Street movies.
Perhaps the long-fabled 23 Jump Street would've been a better return to the director's chair than Project Hail Mary. While the source material is rich, the movie adaptation can border on tedious, thanks to the time jumps.
Visually, yes, it's as good as everyone has hyped it up to be. From a story perspective, it's a mixed bag. There are emotional beats, sure, but it's fair to question how genuine they are. Being cynical, the adorable Rocky (mostly voiced by James Ortiz) feels like a prime merchandising opportunity for Amazon MGM Studios more than anything.
On a scale of Passengers to Interstellar, Project Hail Mary falls neatly in the middle. It's no 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's not nearly as much of a slog as Ad Astra.
Project Hail Mary review: What is it about?
Most of Project Hail Mary takes place on the spacecraft where Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up from a coma to find that the other two members of his crew have died.
Not only is he light-years away from Earth, but he has no recollection of his past. Throughout the hefty 156-minute runtime of the movie, Grace, a middle school teacher, tries to uncover his past while simultaneously doing the job he was set out to do.
He was sent to space to study Astrophage, a microorganism that will cause the Earth to cool down within a few decades. However, it's also known that Project Hail Mary is a death trap; a one-way ticket. So, Grace has to wrestle with his mortality while in the vastness of outer space.
Ryan Gosling's latest space adventure
On paper, the story sets up nicely for a character study about a true space oddity. Project Hail Mary is at its best when Gosling's character is grappling with his mission.
It's not as if he can phone a friend (not that Grace has any) or back out now. Even if he had the fuel to return home, it'd take years. Gosling is the perfect man to play Grace, as he has a history of playing timid men (see Drive and Blade Runner 2049).
This is also not his first trip to space. Gosling previously played Neil Armstrong in Damien Chazelle's First Man, but there's more complexity with Grace.
Lord and Miller do a good job of utilizing the spacecraft to add to the looming paranoia Grace feels. It's akin to Gravity, which felt claustrophobic in theaters.
Most of the weight of Project Hail Mary falls on Gosling's shoulders. While not quite a one-man show, he's the primary character, and a lot of the movie is just him.
Gosling's charm also goes a long way in his interactions with Rocky. The odd-couple pairing is cute, if not slightly manufactured, but even so, it's the emotional crux of the film.
The problems the non-linear story creates
Project Hail Mary is a non-linear story, as it cuts between flashbacks and the present day. This is a blessing and a curse. While not as convoluted as something like another memory loss movie, Memento, the pacing is hindered by the jumps, especially in the second act.
The movie takes a while to lift off, but once it does, it's wholly entertaining for a while. However, there are revelations that make these flashbacks necessary. By the time they come, though, the movie has overstayed its welcome.
No filmmaker is immune to the problems non-linear storytelling can create. Even Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which came almost two decades after he made Memento, suffers from it in a similar way to Project Hail Mary.
The argument for Grace going to space is that he's impotent, making him expendable. Yes, he has a PhD and is a teacher, but he has alienated most in the science field. Participating in Project Hail Mary is his way of making the most of his potential.
Should you watch Project Hail Mary?
Like a lot of blockbusters, Project Hail Mary will get on the merit of its visuals. Gosling is his reliably good self, but the pacing can make or break a viewer's experience.
It's clear that Weir's source material is dense. Goddard does a good job of making it accessible, and the duo of Lord and Miller toe the line with their signature zany style.
Lord and Miller's presence behind the camera is felt with the movement of the camera. They utilize the spacecraft's limited space well, even if they rely on a repeated camera trick throughout the movie.
They never overdo it when going for style over substance, something that could be tempting with a slow-burn like Project Hail Mary. To that end, it's a nice return to form for the filmmaking duo.
Gosling is one of the last selective movie stars (this is his first on-screen movie role since 2024's The Fall Guy), and Project Hail Mary is right up his alley, given that it's a character study.
Aside from pacing, Project Hail Mary's biggest flaw is that it falls into a trap that's too familiar to blockbusters: marketability. It's the same reason The Fantastic Four: First Steps had H.E.R.B.I.E. Giving Gosling a scene buddy in Rocky results in some cute moments, but it sometimes feels hollow because the character is so transparently supposed to capture viewers' hearts and sell toys.
Grade: C+
Project Hail Mary will be released on Mar. 19.
