Project Hail Mary info:
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Writer: Drew Goddard and Andy Weir
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and James Ortiz
Intro
Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. I’m back from a little time away for Spring Break with the wife and kids. We had a good time, but Mother Nature wasn’t kind the entire time. So, since the weather wasn’t as good as the company, we went to a local theater on one of the days to see “Project Hail Mary”.
I want to jump right into this today, so I will get the spoiler warning out of the way now. If you haven’t seen (or read) this and don’t want to know anything about the story or major plot points, then please go to my reviews page to see what else I have in store for you. Come back here when you’re done and finish what started.
Project Hail Mary recap
“Project Hail Mary” jumps right into the story as we see Grace (Gosling) wake up inside a spaceship in orbit. At first, he is disoriented and doesn’t know what is going on. As he gathers himself, he discovers that the rest of the crew is dead and he is all alone. Slowly, his memories start to return as we get our first flashback of him as a science teacher at a middle school. The flashbacks will begin to fill out the backstory, the more of them we get.
During one of the flashbacks, Grace is asked to go with some government workers. They take him to a private location where he meets Eva Stratt (Hüller). It seems there is something out in space that is slowly eating away at the sun, and they want him to assist, even though he is reluctant at first.
Now, I never read the novel by Andy Weir, so I’m not sure how much directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller took from it, but it does have lots of humor. There is a great montage of Grace and Carl (Lionel Boyce) working on the project and eventually succeeding in replicating the Astrophage (the same substance that is eating the sun). The other scientists turn that discovery into fuel for the ship.
But back in real time, the heart of “Project Hail Mary” starts to take shape as Grace meets a rock-like alien. He names him Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz), and the two not only form an amazing bond, but they form a partnership to save both of their planets from the Astrophage. They figure out a way to communicate, then they use their knowledge to work together. This includes a daring space walk by Grace as he collects samples, Rocky nearly dying in an attempt to save Grace, and them finally figuring out what is needed to stop the Astrophage from spreading.
There is a turn at the end I didn’t see coming, even though Grace has enough fuel to return home, he decides to go back and rescue Rocky. The story ends with Grace living on Rocky’s planet… will he stay there or will he go back home? That is the question we end with.
My thoughts on Project Hail Mary
I feel like I zoomed through some of that recap, but honestly, I could make it three times longer. But I would much rather get to my thoughts and spend more time here. I’m going to come right out and say it. I’ve finally found my favorite movie of the year. Granted, it’s only early April, but the way the first three months went, none of them quite fit the part. “Project Hail Mary” had pretty much everything I love in a movie.
For the most part, it was a very small cast with Gosling taking the brunt of the load. Hüller was great in her role, but the Grace/Rocky relationship led this ship throughout. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of an alien having the second biggest part in the movie, but they pulled it off great, and once they broke the communication barrier, it was smooth sailing. I think it helped that Rocky was in the trailer, so it wasn’t as much of a surprise when he showed up.
But let’s talk about the humor. For a science fiction film, this was loaded with jokes and one-liners. Lots of them were given with Gosling’s smirk-filled face, which made it fun. I’m not sure if the novel is this funny, but I’m glad it was included in the script either way. It really makes me want to check it out. I’m a fan of both this and “The Martian”, so maybe I should.
I also really enjoyed the story. I’m a sucker for a film about the end-of-the-world or a good space flick. “Project Hail Mary” fit both of these. With the Astrophage, the collapse of society was on the horizon, even if it was years away from happening. When he’s in space, you don’t get too much of the desperation, but during the flashbacks, the government scientists are really working their asses off to find a solution.
The next thing is the friendship between Grace and Rocky. It starts off being awkward, then moves to humorous, and ends up being heartwarming and sad at times. They both have scary incidents happening, and the other one stays by their side through it all. The bond they form is very sweet and makes you feel happy for both of them. Even right to the end, when they are together on Rocky’s planet, you can see the bond still growing.
Finally, I want to mention how “Project Hail Mary” made me feel when you mix all of these things together. The humor, the friendship, and the cast all come together for a great end-of-the-world story that made the two-hour and 36-minute movie feel like it was far shorter. They had me hooked from the beginning, right up to the twist (if you want to call it that) ending.
Overall, this was a pretty great movie, and I’m glad I’m hearing that lots of others have really enjoyed it too. It makes you feel good while also showing you heartbreaking scenes and lots of jokes. This has a high bar to cross as we get closer to the summer movie season. Although I do have a few on my radar. In the end, I highly recommend this film, and I am pleased to give this a 9 out of 10.
Watch or wait?
Well, if you haven’t guessed by now, I can definitely say you should be watching this movie in a theater. I actually have a small regret that we didn’t go to an IMAX or something to watch it. At the same time, as soon as this is available to stream, I will be doing that as well.
Ok, this was a big week, but I’m finally done. That means it’s your turn now. Have you seen “Project Hail Mary” yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Do you like it as much as I do, or are you one of the few who didn’t? Let me know in the comments below that you think of it, and I will be back here next week with another mindless movie of some sort.
