Project Hail Mary Review: A Breath of Fresh Air for the Genre

American sci-fi, as a genre, has been quite disappointing and repetitive in the last decade. Expanded universes that don't go anywhere, dystopias that act as background for marketing lessons, and, persistently, science being used as a pretext to make things explode in slow motion. This genre, which before asked impossible questions and answered the unimaginable, became the main way to pump out sequels, prequels, and entirely new franchises.

Then comes Project Hail Mary, one of the most unassuming movies in recent cinema, with its nearly ridiculous thesis: every life form matters. It doesn't matter where it comes from or what species it is. If it has five legs and sees the world through echolocation. And this thesis comes from someone who, let's admit, is not the best guy to do it.

Official Trailer

Synopsis

Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a high-school teacher who wakes up alone in a spaceship and has no idea how he got there.

Bit by bit, through flashbacks, he remembers he was forced to go on a suicide mission: to travel to Tau Ceti, the only star in the nearby galaxy that isn't being consumed by Astrophage, and find out why. Astrophage, namely, is a microorganism that devours solar energy and will kill all life on earth in a matter of decades if left undisturbed.

In Tau Ceti, Grace finds Rocky, a five-legged alien that is also studying Astrophage because his species is threatened by it.

The film itself moves in two main beats. In one, Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up in a spaceship with no memories, and in the other, we see the past and what led him there. This structure may sound simple in these words, but it's actually a great scriptwriting decision. The flashbacks give us just enough information to make everything matter, make sense, and build tension.

Already in space, as Grace finds out he is the sole survivor of his suicide mission, he finds and establishes contact with another species: the Eridian Rocky, who also wants to save his species from the Astrophage threat. This little fella is incredibly cute. It's a sort of rock-based arachnoid, as well as extremely smart. Their relationship is full of humor, adorable moments, and companionship. This small rock shows Grace what life is all about.

Meanwhile, Earth is going through an apocalypse, and this ties the past and the present

perfectly. Eva Stratt, the mission commander (brilliantly played by Sandra Huller), definitely stands out. As they prepare for the mission, Grace feels isolated, as if only he understands that the world is ending. Everyone around him acts as if nothing is happening.

After trying to talk to Eva, who gives him her opinion, Grace gives up. No one will understand. And that's when Eva steps onto a karaoke stage and gives us the core of the entire movie by singing Sign of the Times to her team and Grace. The song speaks for itself. Only the most cold-hearted audiences can hold back tears in this part.

What It Gets Right

If it isn't clear yet, this script is incredibly smart! Most of the great decisions in this movie are script-related. The two-beat structure could have easily become a meaningless style tool, but it is functional: each flashback exists because the present day needed it.

The directing isn't innovative or bold. It's quite classic, but it has its merit, particularly when it comes to sound design, art direction, and photography. Everything works really well and guides you through the story almost by the hand (perhaps a bit too much, but we'll go over this later).

Now, as for what actually happens in the movie, we can't really gloss over Grace and Rocky's relationship. It's the foundation of the entire movie and what makes Grace move forward. By the end of the movie, this character is changed completely, and it's all thanks to Rocky.

Grace is not your typical sci-fi hero. He isn't determined or perfect, and the movie knows this. His transformation throughout the mission is the unspoken heart of the entire movie.

Rocky doesn't speak, doesn't have a face, sees the world through echolocation, and communicates through music. It's one of the most charming characters in recent cinema, and it's made of plastic and puppeteers. It works because Grace's and Rocky's relationship isn't built on how strange and alien this life form is. Instead, two incredibly smart individuals, from completely different cultures, solve problems together. They're colleagues before they're friends, and once their relationship develops, it's not a surprise to anyone.

The movie treats the differences between them with a lot of honesty. Their sleep schedules and diets are entirely different or incompatible. Their references don't make sense because they come from different cultures. But this is all shown with a lot of humor and tact. It never feels dramatic or forced. These two life forms have nothing in common except the problem they need to solve, and they find out that's enough.

What Interstellar Got Wrong and Hail Mary Got Right

The Interstellar comparison is inevitable, and the movie knows it. These two films use complex physics as a narrative device, center around emotional sacrifice in the third act, and want you to cry because of science. The difference is that Interstellar uses all of this to build a spectacle on how grand the universe is, whereas Project Hail Mary uses it to explore the connection between two small creatures in a giant universe.

Project Hail Mary uses hard sci-fi to get to a place Interstellar tried but couldn't get to: emotion but not manipulation. Nolan forced tears to come out. Lord and Miller drew them forth naturally. There is a technical and moral difference between them. And this is all thanks to the scriptwriters.

The problem is that, at times, the movie betrays its own intelligence. Some sequences seem repetitive because the script doesn't trust you to understand Astrophage straight away. Occasionally, Grace explains out loud what just happened to an audience that saw it happen. Because it is over two hours long, these repetitive moments are notable. It calls us silly almost to our faces, and we definitely don't deserve it.

But the heart of the story beats stronger than these flaws. Science is not just a flashy background or a pretext. It is the language that two incompatible life forms used to understand each other. And when the movie keeps that in mind, it is truly great.

Project Hail Mary knows what type of movie it is and doesn't apologize for it. It is a very basic sci-fi flick, yes. It is also the product of Interstellar and The Martian. But it does something these two movies couldn't: put emotion above the idea and translate that into every scene.

Hollywood seems certain spectacle is enough to make movies work, but this one proves that all you have to do is genuinely believe in the main message. Project Hail Mary is a breath of fresh air for the genre.

Rating: 4 out 5.

What about you? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!