Sitting in the massive IMAX auditorium for the new Ryan Gosling-led blockbuster “Project Hail Mary,” I couldn’t help but find myself distracted by the ecstatic energy of the child sitting beside me. But rather than being consumed by annoyance, I was reminded of something valuable. Storytelling has remained culturally relevant for centuries not because of the entertainment and distraction it provides for audiences but the empathy and emotional connection it is able to draw from us. This little dude wasn’t just sitting through a story, he was immersed in an experience.
It clicked to me then. “Project Hail Mary,” although at times imperfect, is a remarkable film reminding audiences of the powers of empathy, love and the hope we must never forget to keep moving forward despite all odds our future may entail.
Based on the novel by Andy Weir, the film follows Ryland Grace, a molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher who awakens alone on a spaceship uncertain about how he got there. As Grace aimlessly wanders through his empty ship far from Earth, he pieces together fragmented memories of his past. As Grace recalls the reasons for his being in space, he discovers the threat of a mysterious sun-consuming substance and must become the unlikely hero of Earth.
Boasting a career in serious, stoic roles followed by over-the-top, ridiculous performances, Gosling’s wide acting range is put into full effect for this film. It brings together Gosling’s strongest acting beats into an emotionally profound performance that feels grounded and human.
Throughout the film, Gosling bumbles around like an earnest idiot à la Ken from “Barbie” while still honoring the emotional weight of his character. Gosling excels in rhythmic timing in performance where he can nail comedy in a particular instance, yet land a delicate vulnerability in the next. The result is a performance that feels remarkably real and human, with a lovable character audiences can easily root for.
“Project Hail Mary” is a breathtaking film, one whose effectiveness is dependent on what format you view it in. In an era of streaming where watching movies is as easy as viewing them on your phone, the immersiveness of the film’s grand spectacle is lost when viewed on smaller, more limited formats. Viewing the film in digital IMAX, I was sucked into its world thanks to its large, immersive screen amplified further with the expanded frame of the format and immersive audio system.
The film’s monumental cinematography from director of photography Greig Fraser captures the haunting emptiness of space but also the beauty of its astronomical phenomena. Both of which are further enhanced by the triumphant score of Daniel Pemberton, which helped in further immersing me into the emotional highs and lows of Grace’s voyage.
But as spectacular as the film’s technical filmmaking is, its heartfelt narrative reaches points at times unearned and explores its themes rather safely. Its familiar, clichéd storytelling has become increasingly bland to me throughout the years for how predictable its structure can be. I’m left partially unconvinced by the film’s cordial messaging as the plot’s underdeveloped conflicts felt too easily resolved and absent in the consequences associated with their high stakes.
Despite this, “Project Hail Mary” is a movie that couldn’t have worked any better without the direction from filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. With a filmography consisting of iconic contemporary American cinema, including “The Lego Movie,” “21 Jump Street” (2012) and the animated “Spider-Verse” trilogy, Lord and Miller exceptionally balance the film’s oscillating tone of humor and heart. But the duo’s experience in comically meta, yet sincere narratives, embraces the film’s familiar structure to remix it into something more engaging. Even when the plot feels generic and predictable at times, the film ultimately stands out for its sincerity. It counters a cynicism plaguing our current world by leaning into an earnest optimism less common in contemporary cinema.
Although at times cliché, safe and undeserving of some triumphant moments, “Project Hail Mary” remains a heartfelt, emotionally jubilant adventure. The film boasts an exceptionally immersive display of visuals further amplified by the tall, expanded frame of the IMAX format. Although not as thought-provoking or thematically profound as I had hoped, the film is a necessary reminder of the beauty of our world and the unconventional connections we find in it that make life at least a little bit more worth living for.
4/5