★★★★★ out of 5 -- Rated: PG-13 -- Run time: 2 hours, 36 minutes
Outer space has proven to be a successful story setting for sci-fi author Andy Weir.
His 2011 novel, “The Martian,” dealt with an astronaut stranded alone on a faraway planet. It became a best-seller and then a movie starring Matt Damon.
The story of a man utilizing science to try to survive in a hostile environment really resonated with audiences and became a major box office hit.
Weir returned to space with his 2021 novel: “Project Hail Mary,” and Hollywood was jumping on the story before it was even published.
The author had sent the manuscript to actor Ryan Gosling (“La La Land” and “Barbie”), asking that Gosling not just star in the movie, but that he also serve as a producer. The result is a highly entertaining, uplifting film that looks to be a big hit.
Allow me to delve into the film without giving too much away. The story by screenwriter Drew Goddard (“The Martian”) is told in a series of flashbacks. It begins with scientist Ryland Grace (Gosling) waking up on board a large, long-distance spaceship after a lengthy induced coma.
He quickly discovers that his team’s crucial, Earth-saving mission to a distant star has fallen apart, and he is the only person left on the ship. He has no one to help him and no way to communicate with Earth. Much like Damon in “The Martian,” he must use his science skills to figure things out.
The impressive spaceship (courtesy of production designer Charles Wood of “Guardians of the Galaxy”) is loaded with all kinds of wonderful gadgets, including robotics and a talking operating system. It almost becomes a character in itself.
The flashbacks reveal that, despite his brilliance as a scientist, Grace was working as a middle school science teacher back home. Everyone there is worried because the sun is starting to dim, endangering planets throughout the galaxy.
A widely-dismissed paper Grace wrote years earlier about survivability gets the attention of a worldwide task force trying to solve the problem.
He’s recruited by the group’s powerful, no-nonsense leader — the wonderful Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest”). Despite her coolness and poker face, she reveals a few touching moments of humanity, especially in a wonderful karaoke scene.
Just when the story starts to feel like it might be re-running territory already covered in “The Martian,” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street”) slowly and masterfully reveal a new element to the plot — a giant, high-tech spaceship and an alien life-form on board.
He looks kind of like a cross between a crab and a series of rock segments (courtesy of the team led by Creature Effects Supervisor Neil Scanlan whose credits include “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).
I feared that with the introduction of “Rocky” — as Grace naturally decides to name him — the story was veering into overly-cute alien territory, but thankfully the relationship between the two space travelers develops at just the right pace, mixing moments of warmth and humor into a growing and touching friendship. (Rocky’s voice is provided by James Ortiz from “The Woodsman.”) It’s their relationship that’s the heart of the movie.
I cannot praise Gosling enough for his performance. He manages to walk the tightrope when it comes to finding the right tone — whether it’s delivering a steady stream of hilarious one-liners or pulling off quiet emotional scenes, like when he holds a solo memorial for his fellow crewmembers, honoring them and promising, “I’ll do my best.”
“Project Hail Mary” is one of those movies that really delivers. There are moments where you’ll be at the edge of your seat with high-action scenes, other times you’ll be laughing, and other times you’ll hear sniffles in the crowd. Best of all, it’s a wonderful story about friendship.