Who would’ve thought we’d rediscover our lost humanity 12 light-years from Earth… and that it would come in the form of a practical-effects rock rolling around a spaceship like an interstellar hamster wheel?
At least, that was what I found at the heart of Project Hail Mary, a film that takes a familiar, high-concept sci-fi premise and threads it with something far more human.
Faithfully adapted from Andy Weir’s best-selling 2021 novel of the same name, we enter the world of Project Hail Mary as Ryan Gosling’s character, Dr. Ryland Grace, wakes up from a medically induced coma, confused, alone, and abundantly lost in the depths of space.
Alien microbes called astrophage, or “star eaters”, are draining the energy from our sun – and every known sun – threatening life on Earth.
In a matter of months, just the smallest drop in solar output would threaten all life on our planet. Crops would fail, temperatures would plummet, and a global civilisation would slowly kill each other off for the last Twinkie bar.
Until the planet’s brightest minds discover an anomaly residing in the Tau Ceti system, the one Sun-like star that’s somehow remained untouched by the voracious astrophage. It’s here Grace wakes up alone aboard a spacecraft, 13 years into a one-way mission, with humanity’s survival resting squarely on his reluctant shoulders.
It’s the kind of setup that promises a larger-than-life spectacle, reaching the furthest corner of our galaxy into the unknown, without the slightest promise of any return. And the film delivers; in its expansive interstellar setting, in the incredible practical effects, the real-world building of the spacecraft, and in its faithful execution of the original text.
You could easily walk away from the cinema experience, still smiling from the film’s sweeping chases through the void, or witnessing the rare choreography reaching distant planets. But for me, what elevates Project Hail Mary is the profoundly rich relationship between Gosling and an unexpected source, Rocky, the film’s alien co-lead. Sorry, spoilers. Well, in my defence, the trailer ruined it first.
Brought to life through practical effects and performance, he could have easily tipped into gimmick, or a caricature, as so many non-human companions have done in the past.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were determined to give Gosling a real acting partner on set, bringing in James Ortiz, a veteran puppeteer from Broadway, to man the Rocky puppet for the entire 6-month shoot. It gives Rocky a unique and familiar personality.
“I’m going to treat this like you’re Frank Oz, and my job is to build Yoda for you.”
Neil Scanlan, Rocky Designer
Over time, Rocky becomes the film’s emotional anchor; one that the audiences quietly find themselves caring for more and more as the film progresses. Through his clumsy movement through Grace’s messy ship, banging into walls and table legs as he wilfully looks for his own bedroom.
Perhaps it’s our tendency to be more affectionate toward non-humans, or beings we unwittingly infantilise. And yet Rocky is anything but simple. He’s centuries old, technologically advanced beyond comprehension, and adapted to conditions that would crush a human instantly. An alien in every sense of the word. Though, it’s in his imperfect grasp of English that the film finds its soul.
“Thank, thank, thank”, “Why room so messy, question?”, “Fist my bump.” Each line lands so well within the wider dread of the scene, cutting through the film’s existential stakes with warmth and humour as these two strangers become collaborators, then companions, then something closer to an old married couple who have spent too much time together in a pressurised floating ship.
They bicker. They worry about each other’s sleep schedules. It’s hilarious, and feels inherently organic.
Gosling’s performance is already (rightly) generating an early Oscars buzz, proving once again that his screen presence isn’t dependent on who, or even what, he’s acting alongside. If they could hand out gongs to animatronics, I’m sure Rocky would be in contention. Even without a traditional face or mouth.
Above all else, though, Project Hail Mary is fun; a far-reaching sci-fi blockbuster with the emotional weight of the genre’s heavyweights, paired with the humanity and heart of a buddy comedy set within the cosmos.
Whether it’s in Gosling’s impeccable wardrobe or through the chaotic WFH set-up that the unlikely duo find themselves in, Project Hail Mary is an irrefutable escape for those looking for a bit of entertainment release. And, early numbers are showing audiences are responding in turn.
The film launched with a domestic opening of US$80.6 million, a record for Amazon in its its quest to become an established studio, before adding US$60.4 million internationally for a global debut of US$141 million. It stands to be one of the biggest returns for an original story this year.
Project Hail Mary is one of those films that sit with you long after the final credits roll. Perhaps it’s the divided, uncertain world we live in, the one Grace is doomed to save. But this story succeeds through its rare vision of cooperation between typically warring nations, finding its humanity through unfamiliar species. And perhaps that’s why it resonates so deeply.
Because in the darkness of the cinema last Friday, I was surrounded by strangers, all doing the same thing: looking outward, hoping to find something that reflects us back. A hero to root for. A happy ending.
It’s why we go to the movies. It’s why stories like this matter. And it’s why Project Hail Mary, against all odds, feels like something special.
Amaze, amaze, amaze.
