Project Hail Mary just hit theatres March 20 and is being met with high expectations for this film year. With an 8.5 IMDb rating and 95% rotten tomatoes, this film has been fully packing theatres every day since its release. Ryan Gosling marketed this film left and right for months, and it is all paying off.
Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling), the average middle school science teacher, wakes up alone in space years away from Earth. When his memories begin to return and he uncovers why he is there, he learns that Earth is in life threatening trouble. An unknown mysterious substance is slowly killing the sun. As he travels through space searching for solutions, he meets an interesting friend who may just be exactly what Dr. Grace needed.
This movie is a whopping two hours and 36 minutes, but it honestly felt like an hour. It is paced incredibly well between Grace’s time in space, his flashbacks before space, and his time spent with Rocky, an alien shaped like a rock. Gosling perfectly played his role in this movie, and his personality naturally fits his character. His humor was unmatched despite the heartbreaking events surrounding him. He brought remarkable witty jokes and sarcasm to the dark situation. His dramatic facial expressions hit the mark every single time and had the audience cackling.
I was also amazed by this film’s beauty. Project Hail Mary used no green or blue screens for the whole entire film. They relied on physical sets and effects, but the cinematography was break taking. The spaceship was so intricately detailed as well as space itself. I could not take my eyes away from the screen due to this film’s visual beauty.
Lastly, this movie does not shy away from emotional scenes. I found myself in tears multiple times over fear, sadness, and happiness. The bonds formed in this movie are beautiful, and I felt like I was right there on the ship with Grace and Rocky. Rocky’s dialect is nothing short of adorable and made me fall in love with him immediately. Despite him being a literal rock, the entire audience found themselves crying over his cuteness and his desire to be with others.
Project Hail Mary deserves all of its praise, and movies like this are the reason theatres still sell out. Seeing such a visually pleasing film on a big screen felt surreal. I have recommended this film to every single person I have seen since. I do not love the science fiction genre, but I absolutely adored this film.
