Project Hail Mary Movie Review

“Project Hail Mary” is a near-flawless take on the popular novel. Due to a slow, world-ending problem – the Sun is going out and the Earth will perish. The only potential solution is light-years away. And this last-ditch effort will encounter situations unlike any other.

The world will slowly end, and so a massive effort has been put into place. The spacecraft ‘Hail Mary’ is out in space, with a crew of three people. All of these scientists have been put into a long-term coma. But when it gets close to the goal, there is only one who wakes up.

Ryland Grace (played by Ryan Gosling) wakes up with amnesia. He cannot remember anything, and he has no idea why he is on this spaceship. Slowly, some memories come back to him. He was at one point a famous molecular biologist. He was shunned by the scientific community for a paper he wrote.

Grace was then a junior high science teacher, and he found his calling. But then the problems came up when a mysterious problem happened with the Sun. The energy emitted started to dim, and a strange infrared arc was found. It led from the Sun out to Venus. A lady from the European Space Agency is put in charge of the world-wide effort to fix the problem.

Eva Stratt (played by Sandra Hüller) comes to Ryland Grace has starts him down a path to explore the problem. All of this build-up has been forgotten by Grace after he wakes up.

Memories begin to piece together. They have to do with his original paper written years ago. There is also of biology, and how a tiny microbe has ‘infected’ the Sun.This little bug is sucking the energy out of the Sun. It is called “Astrophage.”

This alien life-form can exist on the surface of the Sun and finds a way to live in the carbon dioxide on Venus. There is only one distant star in the galaxy which seems to be unaffected. This other star, Tau Ceti, is the only one that is not dimming.

But in his current situation, Ryland Grace is spending time trying to remember what he was sent to do. The ship, ‘Hail Mary’ is now really close to Tau Ceti. Grace figures he has been asleep for close to 11 years.

But somehow, he will find a way to figure out the secret of this star system. Why is Tau Ceti immune to the affects of “Astrophage”, and how can he use this knowledge to help Earth?

There is not enough fuel to get back to Earth. This was always a one-way trip. There are small self-contained probes that can be dispatched and sent back to the home planet. But first Grace will need to use his science background to do the experiments required to figure out the answer.

But, by a huge stroke of luck, Ryland Grace also discovers that he is no longer alone. The two other crew members did not make it out of the induced coma stage. There is another being — in a much larger spaceship — who is about to make a historical contact with Grace.

Eva Stratt (years ago) was put into a difficult spot. Other trained members of her ‘Hail Mary’ crew were killed in an accident. Having no other person to turn to — Ryland Grace was made part of the crew of three. This was not what Grace had originally signed up for; he was strictly there to assist. But now — Grace is about make contact with a truly alien being.

This very-non-human creature is nothing like the flesh-and-blood creatures from Earth. Made from a rock-hard substance, under extreme pressure, this creature lives in pressurized ammonia. Grace takes a look, and decides he will call his new friend ‘Rocky’.

Ryland Grace finds a way use Rocky’s sounds — musical tones and rhythms — to translate these to words. He has a laptop that can translate from Rocky to Grace. Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz) explains that his ship was sent from a planet near the star called Eridani. Rocky is also the sole survivor from his mission.

Both Grace and Rocky live in worlds affected by the scourge of “Astrophage”. Both have been sent to this small solar system, to Tau Ceti, so that answers can be found. Rocky is an excellent designer and engineer. Ryland Grace is a scientist, and a molecular biologist. Using talents from both of them — perhaps they have a chance to save both worlds.

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“Project Hail Mary” becomes a movie that light-years ahead of most others. The description that I have laid out does not give a full sense of the wonder that this movie will give you. From the story line to the acting, the special effects and sound design and sound track — there is much in here that delights!

Ryan Gosling plays a perfect role as Ryland Grace. He is able to capture his confusion and his amazement in equal measures. He will probably be the most handsome nerd the world has ever seen. His performance is honest and affecting.

The entire movie boils down to the question – will you believe that a human can make contact with an alien being and work together? It is a very easy thing to believe. Then by the end, you will be rooting for Grace and Rocky to not only survive – but to also save their respective planets.

Everything with how this movie was produced is really stellar. The look and feel of the spaceship, and the distant planets these two find – there are some incredibly beautiful shots. The music is powerful and uplifting. It does run a bit long, but good things like this take time…

“Project Hail Mary” makes a twist within a familiar story line. Boy meets Rock. Boy and Rock work together to save the World.