Project Hail Mary - Review 

Rating: 5 out of 5

PHIL Lord and Christopher Miller are past masters at putting a different (often fun) spin on established genres, having made the visually distinctive Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and both 21 and 22 Jump Street.

With Project Hail Mary, they venture into science fiction and channel the likes of Interstellar, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Martian (whose author, Andy Weir, also wrote the book upon which this film is based).

Like The Martian, it features an almost lone protagonist who finds himself stuck in deep space. In this case, it’s high school science teacher Dr Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who wakes up from his induced coma on a spacecraft, with no memory of how he got there until it becomes clear he is in a mission to save Earth.

The rest of the crew are dead but Grace eventually enjoys a close encounter with an alien spaceship, home to a friendly spider-shaped alien with stony bodyparts that he nicknames Rocky, with whom he subsequently teams up with and forms an unlikely friendship.

Lord and Miller devote a large part of the film to this partnership, offering glimpses of Grace’s past via flashback and only belatedly ramping up the stakes (and accompanying spectacle) for the world-saving element. But it proves a savvy decision.

Gosling is a genuinely charismatic presence (as he is in most movies) and his relationship with Rocky is beautifully played, so that by the time the big set pieces do enter the equation, you’ll be totally invested in the fates of both of them.

And for all the peril inherent in the set-up, there’s a lot of humour too with Gosling happy to tap into the self-deprecating style of character building that has previously worked so well for him in films like The Fall Guy and The Nice Guys.

Here, there’s an awkward bro-mance that builds from near wordless to full-on co-dependent that is beautifully realised. Hence, when the big emotional scenes do arrive, any tears shed are well earned. And believe me, as light as the film is at times, there’s also a surprisingly big emotional kick throughout.

But there in lies another of the film’s strengths. For as high concept as some of the science involved is, at its core Project Hail Mary is about life: its value (no matter what species or life form) and how it connects us. 

There’s an optimism here that’s needed right now, as well as a warning about the importance of collaboration and mutual respect and understanding. It’s not overplayed. But it is intelligent and thought-provoking.

Hence, as absurd as the idea of a deep and meaningful relationship between Gosling and a rock might initially sound, the overall result is profoundly moving and instantly memorable.

The screenplay comes from Drew Goddard, who also penned the script for The Martian, so his mastery of this particular medium also serves the movie well - not just in terms of having a lone central human figure but also in terms of tackling the space-based narrative. And while the notion of the Earth being placed under threat is far from new, the apocalyptic possibilities aren't the main focus: they're not so much inevitable as opposed to preventable, which serves as a worthwhile reminder to audiences mindful of the existential threats that seem to inform our day-to-day (particularly from the climate).

Again, that notion of working together, of unity and of maintaining hope and decency, sound like a rallying call for those willing to embrace it.

There are other contributors to the film's overall success, most notably from Sandra Hüller’s coolly impassive German technocrat Eva Stratt, who befriends and then betrays Grace on Earth, as well as from The Bear’s Lionel Boyce, as a security guard who also warms to Grace’s aloof charm.

But the bulk of the heavy lifting is done by Gosling who, like Tom Hanks (in Castaway) and Matt Damon (The Martian) before him, proves he can carry a film on his own: albeit with the super endearing Rocky along for the ride as well.

Kudos, too, must go to Miller and Lord for the effortless way in which they tip their space helmets to the sci-fi films that have clearly inspired them, with Spielberg’s Close Encounters sonically recognised, Kubrick's 2001 given a striking visual reference and the likes of ET, Interstellar and The Martian also nodded to.

And while inviting such comparisons invariably runs the risk of potentially highlighting this film's shortcomings, Project Hail Mary is distinct, intelligent and engaging enough to stand as an instant classic in its own right; a film that inspires hope, kindness and tolerance that simultaneously celebrates life, beauty and friendship while offering plenty of food for thought. It is life-affirmingly brilliant.

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 2hrs 35mins