It’s really rare for a year to start with such a banger, and I think Project Hail Mary might just be one of the most defining films of the decade. It’s the type of movie that you could think is maybe derivative or unoriginal, but if you actually see through every layer of this project you’ll love it for what it is. This film is, in every form, a spectacle…
“Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.”
I confess I never read the book and went into this film without knowing a single thing about the plot or the characters, and yes, the experience was mesmerizing. When you think of sci-fi classics you might think of E.T., or Arrival, or Interstellar, but to be honest with you, at least for me, this film could easily join this category. I related to this film so much.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller really deliver their best work as directors. You can clearly see their improvement as directors in this film and how everything was meticulously shot with so much perfectionism. And another jaw-dropping detail in this film is its cinematography. Greig Fraser delivers one of his best works yet. This film was made for the IMAX experience. If you plan on watching this film at home, I just recommend you not do so because the theater experience you’ll have with this film is one to never forget.
But the heart and soul of this movie really are Grace’s relationship with Rocky. It’s a movie about friendship with such incredible characters. The thing about this film is that you’ll be laughing so hard at times and then crying even harder at other moments. That’s why the first thing I said when I came out of this film was that Project Hail Mary is everything I look forward to feeling when I go to a movie theater.
It’s pretty safe to say that Project Hail Mary is one of the best sci-fi films in decades. A hilarious, tense, beautiful, and extremely emotional journey where Ryan Gosling delivers his best performance yet.
Project Hail Mary releases in theaters on March 20.
