"PROJECT HAIL MARY" IS A MISSION THAT ALMOST SOARS
By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"Project Hail Mary" has all the ingredients of a gripping sci-fi epic, yet it falls a bit short.
Based on the 2021 bestselling novel of the same name from Bay Area/Davis, California author
Andy Weir, this big-screen adaptation from screenwriter
Drew Goddard ("Untitled Cloverfield Sequel") and directors
Phil Lord ("Artemis" and "Strays") and
Christopher Miller (TV's "The Afterparty") aims high with its mix of hard science fiction and character-driven drama.
Yet despite its ambition, the result feels uneven. It's engaging in stretches, but unless you're already familiar with the source material, the film's dense ideas and shifting timeline may leave you feeling, quite literally, a bit lost in space during its indulgent 156-minute runtime.
The story centers on Dr. Ryland Grace, (Gosling), who awakens alone on a spacecraft 12 light years from Earth with no memory of how he got there. As his memories slowly return through flashbacks, we learn that he was a disgraced molecular biologist and middle school teacher.
Earth is facing extinction due to a mysterious microorganism--Astrophage--draining energy from the sun. Grace is soon recruited by the steely government agent Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller, "Anatomy of a Fall"). He becomes a reluctant participant to save humanity in a last-ditch NASA mission: Project Hail Mary.
The film toggles between Grace's present isolation and his past on Earth, where we also meet his crewmates--Commander Yao Li-Jie (Ken Leung, "Superfakes") and Olesya Ilyukhina (former AT&T spokesperson Milana Vayntrub, TV's "Going Dutch")--both of whom are gone by the time he regains consciousness.
There is a quiet poignancy in the way Grace honors them before committing their bodies to space, one of the film's more touching scenes.
Still, something feels slightly off kilter with the movie. Even early character interactions--like Grace's initial dynamic with a security guard named Carl (Lionel Boyce, TV's "The Bear"), don’t quite land with emotional clarity or weight.
But let's be real. What keeps "Project Hail Mary" afloat is Gosling. His natural charm, wit, and understated vulnerability carry much of the story, making even the more convoluted scientific exposition easier to digest.
Whether he's fumbling through fragmented memories or tackling impossible scientific problems, Gosling holds the audience even when the script meanders.
Visually, the film has its moments too, particularly in its depiction of deep space and the sterile isolation of the Hail Mary spacecraft.
Then there's Rocky, the peculiar, faceless, rock-like five-legged alien Grace discovers. At first strange and even off-putting, Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz, "The Woodsman"), gradually becomes one of the film's most endearing elements. By the end, his gentle intelligence and unexpected warmth manage to win you over, adding a much-needed emotional anchor to the story.
"Project Hail Mary" offers an interesting premise, a strong central performance, and flashes of genuine heart, yet never fully comes together.
It's a film that you can admire more than you truly connect with although fans of the novel will likely appreciate it more. For others, it's a decent journey that leaves you with the sense that there's a certain spark missing that would have made it even more memorable.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"PROJECT HAIL MARY"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
