Do ordinary people sign up for extraordinary tasks simply for the greater good, despite great personal cost? Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller), leader of the task force behind a space expedition in the recently released Phil Lord and Christopher Miller-directed Project Hail Mary, seems to think it’s easier than most would imagine. Dr Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), however, doesn’t really get a choice.
The film’s premise draws from the book by Andy Weir, the author of The Martian. When we first meet Grace, he’s just gaining consciousness – waking up from a coma with memory loss, he realises his two crewmates are dead, and he’s over 11 years away from Earth. Through flashbacks, we find out he’s a molecular biologist and schoolteacher with some controversial ideas about what’s happening in the solar system, particularly about a substance called Astrophage (Greek for star-eater) that’s making its way to the sun and dimming its light. Basically, the sun is dying, and Grace’s theories align with a group of engineers, scientists and astronauts from around the world on Stratt’s Project Hail Mary task force. Soon, he finds himself involuntarily leaving for outer space. Left alone in his ship, he’s about to find out that Earth isn’t the only planet with Astrophage problems. He makes contact with a ship carrying a lone survivor – an alien who can only be described as a small rock with multiple legs. After a few attempts at reaching out, Ryland is able to come face-to-face with the alien he names Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz). Ryland and Rocky might not understand each other yet, but they’re united in their quest, a last-ditch attempt at saving their planets from the brink of destruction.
Project Hail Mary is amaze, amaze, amaze
I read the first few chapters of Project Hail Mary at a bookstore recently. Right from the opening, the novel introduces some outlandish sci-fi jargon but also sets up its comedic elements. The directors, along with writer Drew Goddard, have nailed grounding a space story into a dramedy instead of just a space/survival drama. This is unsurprising considering they’re the minds behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie. While readers might find the sciency department lacking, rest assured, the film conveys the stakes of the mission that’s central to its plot.
Ryland and Rocky’s budding friendship as they learn each other’s language, details about their planets (and relationship status) is the beating heart of the story. The way Gosling can have chemistry and portray genuine love in his eyes for a spider-shaped rock needs to be studied. He single-handedly gets you to care about the rock, his planet and our own blue rock. The actor has proven his mettle one film at a time, from La La Land to Barbie and The Fall Guy. Each interaction has humour and honesty that make you invest in an otherwise wild narrative. Credits are also due for Ortiz, who both puppeted and voiced Rocky to perfection. It’s quite the feat to infuse so much character into something that doesn’t even have a face. For all the vastness of the concept, the film feels realistic. Props to the makers for using practical effects wherever possible. Back on Earth, Stratt, played by Huller of Anatomy of a Fall fame, enjoys the other great dynamic of the film with Gosling. There is one specific scene (out of the many) which I won’t spoil here, which brought tears to my eyes.
I, for one, would’ve watched a simple slice-of-life space drama with Gosling sitting in a tin can. I’d take that too. But Project Hail Mary unleashes some of the most stunning visuals I’ve seen on IMAX in a while. Watching the screen light up as I sit in one of the rows ahead feels like a cosmic experience, for lack of a better word. It’s fun, rousing and life-affirming all at once. The film fuses the joy of discovery right back into the sci-fi genre. And to think that Dhurandhar 2 almost left no IMAX screens for what is easily one of the best films of the year so far. Context: The film had limited showtimes on IMAX due to the Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar 2’s weeks-long theatrical takeover. Fans’ petitioning played a part in getting Project Hail Mary some more slots. Tickets for more than 60 shows have been made available as of today. If there’s any film worth rallying behind, it’s this one.
Project Hail Mary is currently in theatres.
Hero and featured image courtesy: Amazon MGM Studios
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
