Ryan Gosling and a space rock give the best sci-fi performance of the year

Project Hail Mary, based on a 2021 award-winning novel, is a thoroughly enjoyable film. The plot is strong, and the movie was well cast, featuring big names like Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller. 

The story is about scientist Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling), who is stranded alone in space. First without his memory, as the movie progresses, flashbacks tell us the backstory for his seemingly impossible “Hail Mary” mission, as he puts his science skills to work in an attempt to save humanity from a sun-eating bacteria. 

The film production handles the adaptation deftly overall. The novel features plenty of inner monologues as it is told from Grace’s perspective, but they wisely cut those from the film so we get to observe his story instead. 

The movie fits in more action in by removing some of the long science exposition and moving quicker from scene to scene. Those who have read the novel might think certain parts of the story have been under-explained in the film, but the movie does a great job making sure not to dwell on those scenes and instead focuses on the more emotional scenes.  

The script conveys the story smoothly, adding more emotion and action to the somewhat repetitive book which, while fantastic, also had some long sections consisting of Grace just doing science. 

The movie was also very realistic. Author Andy Weir is known for meticulously researching every bit of science in his books so that the story feels as immersive as possible while staying true to his “hard sci-fi” ethos. Every planet and piece of science equipment used in the film is real. Because of that, the movie feels more plausible, like any of that could happen in real life. 

Another strong suit of the movie was its humor. The characters tackle serious issues with sarcasm and cheesy one-liners, giving the movie a funny, light tone. This light tone is also helpful to the plot, because when the movie gets dark, the tone flip makes sure you feel that change. 

Providing laughs, suspense, science and heartfelt moments, Project Hail Mary is an excellent movie experience, sure to please a wide audience. 

Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios