Ryland Grace was once a revered scientific mind, but when his theories exiled him and damaged his credibility, he was relegated to teaching science at a middle school. Some time later, Dr. Grace awakens aboard a spacecraft with a deceased crew with no memory, struggling to put the pieces together, rediscovering the mission that put him in outer space in the first place. Crossing paths with a mysterious extraterrestrial being in his travels, Grace must do what is necessary to save dying stars, while contemplating his eventual return to Earth.
PROJECT HAIL MARY is based on a novel by author Andy Weir, probably best known for writing the book THE MARTIAN, which itself had previously been adapted into a hit feature film. This Weir adaptation recruits the talents of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a team with extensive directorial, production, and writing credits. PROJECT HAIL MARY benefits from the union of its strong source material, its creative team, and its star Ryan Gosling, making it one of the most memorable science fiction stories to hit the big screen in recent years, even if it’s about 20 minutes too long and suffers from the “too many endings” problem.
PROJECT HAIL MARY has a strong story to its name. While the movie clearly wears its influences on its sleeve, with homages to productions like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, the production values are top notch, and the film truly feels like its own unique story. It’s some of the most believable space travel and exploration ever seen on the big screen, despite the more fictional moments. The effects speak for themselves, and you’ll want to see PROJECT HAIL MARY on the biggest screen possible; my screening at the AMC Town Square IMAX theater here in Las Vegas looked and sounded incredible.
PROJECT HAIL MARY is largely a one-man show, but thankfully, that one man is more than up to the task. Ryan Gosling has been rising in popularity over the past decade, with roles in movies like BLADE RUNNER 2049 and THE FALL GUY, beautifully demonstrating his abilities and diversity as an actor; he’ll also be one of the stars of next year’s STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER film as well. Tales of an intelligent man wrongfully ostracized for his views are nothing new, as are amnesiac stories, but Gosling injects newfound energy into the age-old stereotypes as Dr. Ryland Grace. Reluctant to go on the mission but quickly finding himself humanity’s last hope, his journey of self-discovery on the big screen must be seen to be believed. Usually I’m not a fan of films with “alternating narratives” that go back and forth between different time frames, but it actually works surprisingly well here. The supporting cast is superb as well, but make no mistake. This movie belongs to Mr. Gosling. A Best Actor nomination would certainly be welcome here.
If there’s one factor holding PROJECT HAIL MARY back, it’s the excessive and bloated run time. Coming out of my screening, one common criticism the critics had was that it had “too many endings.” Truly, PROJECT HAIL MARY doesn’t know when to end, with further plot twists and developments coming just when you think you’ve got the movie figured out and everything looks like it’s built to a tidy conclusion. A more focused (and singular) ending would’ve worked to the advantage of the storytelling with no real loss of substance.
PROJECT HAIL MARY runs out of gas before it reaches its destination(s), but that doesn’t mean it’s not a sight to behold. Weir’s novel gets the big screen treatment in a truly grand way, with great talent in front of and behind the camera. It would be absolutely criminal if there were no Oscar nominations here, particularly for star Gosling. Yes, it’s too long and has too many endings, but it’s still worth seeing for all the things it does well, making it one of the most memorable science fiction stories to hit the big screen in recent years.
Very highly recommended!