By Mark Fields
Thoroughly Entertaining SciFi Tale Draws on Ryan Gosling’s Relaxed Charm
A man wakes up from a coma in unfamiliar surroundings and slowly reconstructs his life story and his critical mission: to save the Earth from imminent destruction by a mysterious process that is destroying the Sun (and most other suns in the galaxy. This is the captivating premise of the new sci-fi film Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling.
The man gradually recalls that he is Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher and former molecular biologist whose unconventional thinking made him a pariah among his fellow scientists. He finds himself on a spaceship light years from Earth, and since his fellow astronauts have died en route, he must find this life-or-death solution for Earth on his own. That is, until he discovers someone else is working on the same problem.
If this premise feels slightly familiar, Project Hail Mary is based on a book of the same title by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, which became a hit film and star vehicle for Matt Damon in 2015. And indeed, there are strong similarities between the two movies: the outer-space setting, the colossal challenge to overcome, a strong emphasis on science, and a story largely dependent on the charms of its primary, nearly solo, performer. And like Damon before him, Gosling owns this movie and makes it work due to his goofy, casual, charming, screen energy.
The backstory for Project Hail Mary’s engaging narrative is revealed mostly in flashbacks, where Grace is balanced by Eva Stratt, the administrator of the global effort to combat the extraterrestrial threat. Stratt is stoically, almost humorlessly played by German actress Sandra Hüller, which makes for an entertaining contrast between the two characters. But the heart of the story, and in the film, resides in space as Ryland tries to face this daunting challenge. (I am intentionally withholding some of the critical details for your surprise and delight.)
Project Hail Mary is briskly directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a frequent directing duo with a background mostly in comedy and animation (they won an Oscar for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse). The two deftly handle the lighthearted bulk of the story, but they know how to amp up the outer-space elements of awe and risk as well. The screenplay by Drew Goddard (also writer for The Martian) keeps the story moving and engaging. It is clear from the outset that we are in the hands of cinematic storytellers who know what they are doing. Pair their skills with the star quality of Ryan Gosling, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable space epic with feels.
Official Trailer
