Project Hail Mary and the blockbuster that makes cinema feel human again

Project Hail Mary may be the first of this year’s big blockbusters to remind us why cinema still matters, a science fiction film with as much heart as there is science. It follows science teacher Ryland Grace as he is sent into space to save the world from a dying sun. At first glance, this is a fairly standard sci-fi set-up, joining the likes of Armageddon and Sunshine, but what elevates this film is the winning combination of a well-beloved source material in Project Hail Mary, a creative tour de force duo in Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the ultimate charismatic leading man to hang it all on in Ryan Gosling.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have quickly asserted themselves as creative talents with their successful comedies such as 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, as well as their Oscar-winning animated ventures, including producing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel Across the Spider-Verse. Lord and Miller approach the source material of Project Hail Mary with the same charm and ‘anything is possible’ attitude which has made their previous projects so beloved.

For a large part of the film’s two hour forty-minute runtime, the only actor on screen is Ryan Gosling. This is a major feat. Similar to Matt Damon’s performance in The Martian (also adapted from a novel by Andy Weir), Gosling must carry the emotional weight of the audience. He must be funny, he must be smart and he must be tragic. We have come to expect Ryan Gosling as a charming, comical performer in his more recent outings, such as Ken in Barbie or Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy, but in Project Hail Mary, his performance as Ryland Grace harks back to Gosling’s strength as the sad clown. It is a performance funny enough to make us laugh, but tragic enough to create genuine emotional moments. This performance feels closer to that of Gosling’s roles in The Nice Guys or even La La Land. There is a tangible humanity to the performance, an essence that feels essential for the space setting he is thrown into.

However, Gosling is not alone in this grand expedition through space. Move over E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, there is a new alien companion in town. Ryland Grace is joined by Rocky, a small, faceless extra-terrestrial who communicates through a series of hums and movements and, as his name suggests, is comprised of a pile of rocks. Rocky was realised through the impressive work of a team of puppeteers led by James Ortiz, who also provides the voice Rocky ultimately gains through one of Grace’s inventions. The bond that the pair create quickly becomes the beating heart of the film, a playful back and forth that delivers as many moments of laughter as it does poignancy, creating a pairing that feels bound to enter the cultural conversation. It must be noted that it is truly an accomplishment not only to make one of your primary characters a talking rock, but also to achieve genuine emotional moments from that character.

The tone of Project Hail Mary feels rare in this age of sci-fi cinema. It increasingly feels as though our sci-fi outings come either with a heavy dose of gritty existentialism or, at the other end of the spectrum, mindless fun. Lord and Miller expertly balance these two approaches to create a film that feels human and emotionally intimate without compromising its visual spectacle. It feels essential to mention Greig Fraser when discussing Project Hail Mary. Fraser, known for his work on The Batman and the Dune films, delivers cinematography here that is no less breathtaking, creating a dynamic and vibrant world that enhances the performances and is complemented by the excellent score from Daniel Pemberton.

All of these elements come together to create a film that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. The visuals are stunning, the performances heartfelt and the story one that not only encourages us to think about our role in the world as individuals, but also our role as a collective. A film about togetherness, a film about bravery and a film I would happily recommend to anyone. It may not be the most original or the most defining film ever created, but it is a film that will help you fall back in love with cinema.

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[Image Credit | IMDB]

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