Science fiction films are notorious for drawing thousands of eager fans to the cinema, and for many science fiction nerds like me, “Project Hail Mary” was the next enticing film in the genre, and I was beyond stoked when it finally hit theaters after months of waiting.
While I was sitting in the nearly sold-out IMAX theater — the movie only about halfway through — I knew that “Project Hail Mary” had exceeded the expectations of myself and everyone else in the audience who were eagerly cheering and laughing along with the film.
“Project Hail Mary” had amassed high expectations simply for the fact that the bestselling novel it was based on was written by Andy Weir, the same man who also wrote the novel for the highly rated film, “The Martian.” Although I hadn’t finished reading the novel before I saw the film, I felt like “Project Hail Mary” was easily accessible for fans who were not familiar with the source material, while still staying consistent with many elements from the novel that book fans were sure to enjoy.
Ryan Gosling plays the main character of the film, Ryland Grace, and truly brings the character to life. Gosling’s performance was outstanding, portraying a range of both serious, heart-wrenching emotions and comedic, lighthearted ones. The audience was catapulted into an immersive rollercoaster of emotions throughout the film, riding along with Grace.
The alien species Grace meets, whom he names Rocky, was an awesome character overall, and I loved how diverse he was and how hilarious his scenes were. My favorite scene was when Rocky invites himself into Grace’s ship and decides to move in — it was hilariously adorable. Never in my life would I have expected to have such strong maternal instincts towards a pile of rocks, but here we are, because I would die for that little guy.
RELATED: Review | Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders of Him’ is unfortunately gripping
A shocking aspect of the film I had learned after watching it was the minimal usage of green screens and CGI. Rocky was a fully operational puppet controlled by an actual person, and practically all of the sets were actually constructed for the film.
This gave “Project Hail Mary” an added level of realness. You could practically feel the care and attention the crew had put into making the film the best it could be, without having to rely on ample CGI. A movie just feels better to watch when it’s filmed with real sets and props rather than poorly done CGI and special effects for everything.
Another aspect of the film I really enjoyed was how accessible it was to a variety of fans. I’ve always been a science nerd, so watching all the experiments felt highly rewarding whenever I actually understood what the characters were doing.
However, the film also explains all of the science involved in a very easily digestible way, allowing audiences not familiar with science terminology a chance at still understanding the film with ease.
It’s clear that Weir has a deep understanding of the science he speaks about in his novels, and it translates beautifully onto the big screen without feeling overwhelming or boring. This is also accomplished through the usage of comedic scenes that break apart the action and science talk, which were both extremely funny and good palette cleansers.
Honestly, I was just in awe throughout the entire film. From the beautiful colors of space, the deeply complex and intriguing characters, and the high-stakes scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t pry my eyes away from the screen. For a film that was over two and a half hours long, I was surprised by how fast it passed by, and I can’t wait to watch it again, either in the theater or when it’s finally released on disk.
I recommend “Project Hail Mary” to anyone looking to have an astronomical theater experience and anyone who wants a film that blends science fiction and comedy with ease.