Phil Lord and Christopher Miller announced they would be directing an adaptation of “Project Hail Mary” over a year before the book, authored by Andy Weir, was published. It’s easy to see why — the concept screams Lord and Miller.
Lord and Miller have written, directed and produced a variety of hit movies from the 2010s, most of which are animated. This time, the duo chose to bring the science-fiction bestseller to the big screen in the form of a live-action blockbuster.
The cast was headlined by Ryan Gosling, who played Ryland Grace, a science teacher turned astronaut and pseudo-government agent. A majority of the first 45 minutes of the film are spent following Grace in a spaceship by himself, speaking only to himself and the abyss. It felt more like the audience was watching Gosling attempt to win them over with another cliche Ken variant than an immersive experience.
Gosling was joined by breakout star James Ortiz, who voiced Rocky, Grace’s alien partner-in-crime. With Ortiz’s help, Gosling turned a shaky start into one of the best performances of his career.
The pair encounter each other lost in space. Communicating with body movements and hand signals through a cross-galaxy language barrier proved difficult. That nonverbal conversation came with its own challenges; Rocky was about a fourth the size of Grace, had five pillars for legs and no visible facial features.
Over time, they learn to verbally communicate and blossom, initially intimidating interactions into a friendship that feels like it transcends lifetimes, bantering through scientific discoveries and pouring emotion into each other in life-or-death moments.
In a plot centered around saving multiple worlds, traveling thousands of light-years away from Earth and emotions of self-sacrifice for a greater good, it was the unexpected friendship between two species from different worlds that stole the show.
Despite the broken English and lack of facial expressions, Rocky’s lovable personality drew both laughter and tears from the audience.
The duo of Grace and Rocky firmly cemented itself among the top human/humanoid partnerships in sci-fi film history, right up there with memorable tandems of Rocket and Groot, Chewy and Han Solo and Cooper and TARS.
Aside from the show-stealing duo, the film still boasts an all-around successful creation. Both the score and soundtrack — as is the case in many Lord and Miller films — fit the intergalactic journey to a tee. From crescendoing, Interstellar-esque orchestration to ‘70s classics, the soundtrack varied to support the range of emotions shown throughout the film.
But perhaps the best track was Sandra Hüller’s character, Eva Stratt’s, karaoke cover of an ever-fitting Harry Styles hit, “Sign of the Times.”
As expected, Lord and Miller absolutely nailed the visuals; from depicting the empty void of deep space, to a northern lights-esque planetary setting and even Grace’s spaceship, where the audience spends most of the film confined. Lord and Miller’s signature style of an explosion of colors bursts through the screen throughout the film.
In an era dominated by blockbuster franchises, “Project Hail Mary” stands out as one of the strongest non-franchise sci-fi movies of the 21st century.
