Project Hail Mary
Right out of the gate, Ryan Gosling is being accosted by medical robots, and you can’t help but just feel bad for the guy. Though, to be honest, the view from the spaceship window would definitely make up for a lot of it to me.
It’s a bit of a confusing start. We don’t know why he’s in space, why he’s confused about why he’s in space, or why his own memory is playing hide-and-seek with what he does and doesn’t know. But the fact that he actually drew a sad face after calculating a casual 113.8 years to get back home right before crashing out? Wild. Relatable, but wild.
From the Classroom to "All of the Governments"
The movie weaves these disorientation scenes on the ship with flashbacks to his past life. We see Ryland Grace in a classroom full of kids asking very serious questions about their potential mortality, only to cut right back to him on the spaceship feeling like he's nursing the ultimate cosmic hangover.
Then comes Eva Stratt. She basically recruits/kidnaps Ryland for a problem involving molecular biology and a sun-eating threat. Also—who let Lionel Boyce out of the kitchen?! He’s supposed to be back in The Bear baking something tasty and beautiful!
The bureaucracy of the apocalypse delivers some incredible lines here:
"We don't need a coupon, we're the government."
"Which government?"
"All of them."
The science crunch is real: humanity had 200 years to figure out how to get bacteria to work in the past, but now they expect this guy to save the planet on a deadline. When he discovers the tiny alien cell (Astrophage) is essentially feeding on $CO_2$, the clock really starts ticking.
"Fist My Bump?" — Enter Rocky
Back on the ship, Ryland gives a heartbreaking send-off to his dead crewmates right before experiencing zero-g as he hits his target. He tries to fly away from "Blip A," only to run straight into Blip B—a literal interstellar message in a bottle.
The cinematography here is gorgeous. That visual shadow of him holding up "Blip C" in triumph is a standout shot. Though I have to ask: who just casually opens an alien package in open air?! And then casually docks with an alien spaceship and decides to just stroll aboard?
Luckily, that leap of faith pays off. We get our first real look at the alien, start communicating, and before long, they're practically dancing. It’s a great throwback to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, especially as Grace works to decode the alien's musical voice.
Enter Rocky—named simply because he looks like a rock.
Clock Bros!
"At least he isn't growing in me, which was a concern for a while."
"Grace, Rocky, Save Stars!"
"Fist my bump?... No, it's not the same."
The Emotional Core: Bravery, Betrayal, and $113.8$ Years
Beyond the science and space mechanics, the core of this story becomes the friendship. Rocky needs to learn a few personal boundaries, sure, but he quickly becomes Grace’s person to be brave for.
When they realize that life on the planet Adrian is the reason Astrophage dies, the puzzle pieces fall into place. But the emotional turns hit hard:
The Humor: "Oh humor! So confusing."
The Sacrifice: Rocky literally risks his life so Grace can live.
The Reality Check: "I put the 'not' in Astronaut!"
And then we get the gut-wrenching reveal of how Grace actually ended up on this ship. How fucking dirty is it that they essentially kidnapped a middle-school teacher, forced him into space, and named the probe capsules after The Beatles on his way out?
In the end, Ryland is left with an impossible choice: save himself and head back to Earth, or turn around and save Erid.
Between the stunning scenery, the incredible visual scale, and the sheer heart of two total opposites saving the universe together, Project Hail Mary delivers one hell of a ride.
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