This article contains spoilers.
What happens when one sci-fi fan (Rachel) and one non-sci-fi fan (Lilly) walk into “Project Hail Mary?” It becomes both of their favorite movies.
On a quiet Friday night in Block 7, our friends proposed an alternative to our going-out plans: seeing the new “Project Hail Mary” movie in theaters.
Instead of trudging across campus to one of the senior houses for an hour of mingling, we changed into Ugg boots and sweatpants and piled into a car to the AMC Chapel Hills 13. Unlike the local Roadhouse Cinemas or Picture Show, the AMC theater still feels like a 2010s theater, complete with grumpy workers, towering popcorn tubs and the distinct smell of movie-theater carpets.
Since the first time we saw “Project Hail Mary,” we’ve been sending each other TikTok edits nonstop. To say the least, we’re big fans. Both of us can positively say it’s our favorite movie.
“Project Hail Mary,” directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, was released on March 20. It has topped the global box office since its release, grossing almost $700 million and is currently ranked no. 105 lifetime grosses, according to Box Office Mojo.
The film is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 New York Times best-selling novel “Project Hail Mary.” The movie rights, however, were secured by MGM Studios (before they merged with Amazon) in 2020 for $3 million, before the book was released. Ryan Gosling was set to star as Dr. Ryland Grace, with Lord and Miller taking the directorial stage.
Dr. Ryland Grace, a disgraced biologist and academic, becomes a middle school science teacher after he writes a paper claiming life can exist on other planets without water. Gosling stands out in this film for his portrayal of Grace, establishing himself not just as Ken but as a complex character facing the challenge of saving the sun and humankind. He’s positively human and not just a hero.
The movie begins with Grace waking up with total amnesia, unsure who he is and how he ended up on an intergalactic spaceship. His two other crewmates have died, and their burial kicks off the movie with a somber, existential tone. Grace somehow pulls himself together, with glimpses of his past returning to him in flashbacks throughout the film. Viewers and Grace alike learn about Grace’s past at the same time, creating an incredible broken timeline that brings the viewer into the film.
When Grace‘s ship first encounters a foreign ship, the comedic timing is perfect. The ship follows Grace wherever he moves, similar to a clingy guy you just can’t shake at the bar. Grace is tested by the foreign ship, which throws a container at him that he first confuses for a bomb. Soon, he realizes that the foreign ship is trying to communicate with him, the threat of being attacked fading from his consciousness.
When Grace first encounters Rocky, an extraterrestrial rock-like alien, we were stunned by his charming curiosity and scientific mind, attacking what was in front of him. Fear took a back seat to his immediate need to analyze the situation at hand: he is making first contact with alien life.
To study Astrophage and hopefully find a solution to the sun’s dimming light, Grace and Rocky head for Adrian, the one planet that is somehow immune to the Astrophage that is dimming different suns. When they turned on the light spectrum that would allow them to see the Petrova line, we grasped each other‘s hands. The red flashing to green and the pink light floating around Grace are among the most breathtaking scenes in recent cinema. The scene was mesmerizing, and we could not physically look away.
The scene that truly sealed Gosling’s performance was when he accepted Rocky’s offer, providing him enough astrophage to get back to Earth after a life spent in outer space. When Gosling started crying, we couldn’t stop.
We were holding our breaths when Grace decided to go back for Rocky after learning his ship is made entirely of xenonite. His excitement while counting down the days to when they’d be reunited verified that he’s not only excited to save him but also that he gets to see Rocky again, after he thought he’d said his final goodbye.
Despite the gravity (pun intended) of what Grace is facing in this movie, Gosling maintains Grace’s quirks. He classically wears his glasses under his chin, balancing both mad scientist and awkward schoolteacher archetypes.
Comedy is paired with the movie’s intensity flawlessly, as Grace vlogs his new roommate experience and remembers his past. It’s emotionally charged, but you’ll find yourself laughing alongside Grace, Eva Stratt, Carl and Rocky.
Well, some might have found the ending cringeworthy, but we love Grace’s ending, returning to one of his most human characteristics, while on Erid. His full embrace of the Eridians and his desire to translate his love for teaching to Erid were so joyful to watch.
Many have been comparing this movie to Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar.” While Hans Zimmer’s score in the film is unmatched, this movie serves a different purpose in the realm of Sci-fi, and executes the feel-good family-affair vibe perfectly.
Because we both read (and listened) to the book, there were a few moments we hoped to see in the movie that didn’t make the cut. Nonetheless, the film is over two and a half hours, so these cuts were realistic, but learning more about what scientists were doing on Earth and why bombing Antarctica would ever be a good solution to the sun dying could’ve rounded out the movie a bit more. Then again, nobody was complaining about Gosling’s extensive screen time.
The largest plot point missing from the book was the coma-resistant gene, which essentially lands Grace in the Hail Mary in the first place. Rocky in the movie is also slightly dumbed down from his original book character, the genius engineer who somehow has survived 46 years alone in space. He makes up for Grace’s lapse in judgment or shortcomings and is integral to the mission’s objective. The movie instead places Grace at the forefront, while Rocky remains his goofy sidekick.
Nonetheless, this film left us with tears in our eyes, and we can’t go a day without talking about it (or sending each other TikToks). You’ll probably catch us saying “amaze amaze amaze” as our new go-to words of affirmation. After you see the movie, you’ll probably be doing the same.
Our only qualm with the movie was that “Sign of the Times,” after the iconic scene of Stratt singing karaoke in the middle of an aircraft carrier somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, never returned to the film. Had the producers chosen to end with Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” as the end credits rolled, we truly would have no complaints.
This film wouldn’t have nearly the impact it did without its leading man. “Project Hail Mary,” in our eyes, is Gosling’s most compelling role yet. He is vulnerable and empathetic, and his performance in “Project Hail Mary” places him among the elite actors.
Overall, we give this movie two thumbs down (Eridian joke). We might even have to return to the theaters to watch it one more time, especially for our friends who have yet to embark on this stellar feat of world-building.