Project Hail Mary Review: Ryan Gosling is Stellar in This Ambitious Adaptation

At its core, Project Hail Mary is both an underdog story and a story of friendship, both of which require sacrifice. The film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel of the same name far exceeds expectations, and that’s saying something.

In Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who finds himself on a mission to save the world. The film begins with Grace waking up from a coma to find himself in outer space, light-years away from Earth, with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

There’s immediately some humor in seeing him try to figure out his situation. Flashes of memories start to return to him, which sets up the film’s overall structure.

The film alternates between the present time, with Grace struggling on his ship, and the past, which reveals how this overqualified middle school science teacher found himself there in the first place.

Through those flashbacks, it’s revealed that the sun is dying due to a mysterious substance. Because Grace had once done some unconventional research as a molecular biologist, the people heading up “Project Hail Mary” bring him into the fold to help save it.

Grace is reluctant to help, largely because of low self-esteem, but he is convinced to join the project and help research the mysterious substance that’s killing the sun.

There’s humor and heart in seeing his scientific process, which at one point includes a supply run for large amounts of duct tape and Skittles. He’s not the only one doing this research, but he quickly proves his worth as a biologist, making for a small win.

Still, he remains an underdog, even as plans shift and he becomes one of the astronauts whose mission is to travel to another star, light-years away, with no chance of returning to Earth.

There are deep, philosophical questions being explored here, but rather than focus on the dystopian aspects of the story, it’s always about hope. And you can’t help but root for Grace along the way.

Project Hail Mary perfectly balances humor, heart, and suspense, which in large part is due to Gosling’s performance. As someone who has listened to the audiobook (which I highly recommend, by the way), Ryan Gosling and his portrayal of this character are not at all what I pictured — and that’s a good thing.

Gosling’s portrayal makes Grace a more likable, charming character than I’d personally imagined. There isn’t anything necessarily different about him, but Gosling’s portrayal softens Grace a bit.

The way he plays the humor, from line delivery to slapstick comedy, is lighthearted and endearing. It’s also nuanced and restrained rather than being over the top — even when he befriends an alien that looks like a spider-shaped rock.

Grace calls the alien “Rocky,” and their friendship eventually becomes the center of the story.

One concern I had when I first learned the film was being made was how Rocky would be presented on screen, but his appearance is executed perfectly.

Rocky’s shape and characteristics are subtle enough, and perhaps more palatable than readers would imagine based on the book’s descriptions. Despite having no face, Rocky feels like he does based on his shape and movements, and the cartoonish way he moves about really does make him cute. Who knew a lump of rocks that moved like a spider could be so adorable?

It’s extraordinarily fun and satisfying to watch Grace and Rocky work together to try to solve the same problem (Rocky’s own planet is at risk, too), especially in the early moments when they’re simply trying to bridge the language gap.

Here again, it’s Gosling’s performance that stands out and makes everything work so well. He portrays a genuine, emotional friendship with — basically — a snarky rock. And it is entirely believable and sincere.

Grace and Rocky’s interactions include a lot of funny, laugh-out-loud moments without being too silly, but there are a lot of tear-jerking ones, too.

Of course, even as Grace and Rocky make progress, nothing quite goes as planned. There are multiple setbacks that cause plenty of suspense — the kind that makes you hold your breath and shield your eyes a bit.

On top of everything else, Project Hail Mary is also beautifully shot, with a colorful, gorgeous depiction of another world being just one example.

Adapting this particular story feels ambitious for several reasons, but the film brings the entire book to life in an honest, satisfying, and visually stunning way.

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Share your thoughts on Project Hail Mary in the comments below once you’ve seen the film, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

 

Project Hail Mary is currently playing in theaters.

The screenplay for Project Hail Mary is written by Drew Goddard. The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Project Hail Mary is based on the novel by Andy Weir.

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