by Josh Sewell
There are plenty of reasons why Andy Weir’s sci-fi novels are so popular. They have intriguing premises, they’re funny and they’re unabashedly nerdy. But, like most bestsellers with a big pop culture impact, his most prominent works follow a clear formula. Both The Martian and Project Hail Mary center on brilliant men with a dad joke-heavy sense of humor, stranded in space and facing almost certain death. Both characters overcome impossible odds by solving their predicaments one step at a time with the power of science and math.
Now, both of those beloved Weir novels have outstanding movie adaptations as well, courtesy of the same screenwriter – Drew Goddard. Where The Martian had Ridley Scott at the helm and a masterful lead performance from Matt Damon, next weekend’s new sci-fi epic is directed by the brilliant creative duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, producers of the Spider-Verse saga) and mostly rests on the shoulders of Ryan Gosling.
The result is a thrilling, humorous and deeply emotional look at empathy, teamwork and the importance of using your brain. Frankly, in an era defined by anger, violence and rampant anti-intellectualism (“My opinion is just as valid as your expertise!”), it’s downright revolutionary.
In Project Hail Mary, Gosling plays middle school science teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. All he knows is that his crewmates are dead and he’s light years away from home. As his memory slowly returns, he grasps his mission: a mysterious substance is slowly killing the sun, and he’s tasked with discovering where it came from and how to stop it.
Grace must use all his scientific knowledge and outside-the-box thinking if he is going to save Earth from extinction. However, he eventually realizes he’s not alone in trying to save his home – his desperate solo operation has become an unexpected team effort.
We’re about a quarter of the way through 2026, but Project Hail Mary is the year’s best film so far. The narrative is compelling and timely, plus fans of the book will be happy to know it’s a faithful adaptation of the source material that also understands novels and movies are vastly different storytelling mediums.
Lord, Miller and Goddard absolutely nail the stakes Weir crafts in his book, both global and personal. In present-day scenes, Grace’s evolution from terrified amnesiac to hero plays out in realistic fashion, while the flashbacks establish the character’s talents, flaws and complex relationships with his colleagues – including Eva Stratt (a perfectly cast Sandra Hüller), the icy, take-no-prisoners head of the Project Hail Mary program.
Gosling is phenomenal, essentially starring in a one-man-show for huge chunks of the film’s running time. The flick could’ve been a disaster with the wrong casting, but the actor has a rare combination of movie star looks and an everyman quality that allows audiences to connect with him despite his A-list status.
From a technical standpoint, Lord and Miller make a brilliant decision to go with practical effects wherever they can, which makes a huge difference in terms of emotional investment. They’re assisted in this complex endeavor by Grieg Fraser’s stunning cinematography, Charles Wood’s intricate production design and a powerful score from Daniel Pemberton.
It’s hard to care about characters’ safety when they’re obviously standing in front of a blank canvas and talking to a tennis ball (basically every modern comic book movie), but the effort from cast and crew pays off. In fact, according to the directors, they didn’t utilize any green/blue screen for the spacecraft, the other sets or Grace’s surprise visitor.
People who’ve read Project Hail Mary know who I’m referring to, but those who want to go into the film totally cold should skip the next couple of paragraphs. I’ve got to get into some mild spoilers to assuage any anxieties that fans of Weir’s book might have.
Don’t worry, folks – Rocky is perfect. He’s easily the best part of the film thanks to his practical design and James Ortiz’s endearing voice work and puppeteering. It’s so refreshing to see Gosling interact with an actual object in front of him, rather than a computer spitting out a shiny cartoon a few months later in postproduction.
I’ve heard quite a few people compare Rocky to E.T., which I totally get. The dynamic between Grace and his new partner is very similar to Elliott and his stranded friend, which makes the movie fly by. That’s quite an accomplishment considering it’s nearly three hours long.
Project Hail Mary, in addition to becoming an instant sci-fi classic, proves Lord and Miller have been away from filmmaking for far too long. We could’ve had their version of a space adventure with Solo several years ago (I’m still mad at Disney for firing them), but their latest is more than enough to make up for that fiasco. I can’t wait to see what they direct next.
Project Hail Mary is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and suggestive references. Opens in theaters on March 20.
Grade: A
Now, both of those beloved Weir novels have outstanding movie adaptations as well, courtesy of the same screenwriter – Drew Goddard. Where The Martian had Ridley Scott at the helm and a masterful lead performance from Matt Damon, next weekend’s new sci-fi epic is directed by the brilliant creative duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, producers of the Spider-Verse saga) and mostly rests on the shoulders of Ryan Gosling.
The result is a thrilling, humorous and deeply emotional look at empathy, teamwork and the importance of using your brain. Frankly, in an era defined by anger, violence and rampant anti-intellectualism (“My opinion is just as valid as your expertise!”), it’s downright revolutionary.
In Project Hail Mary, Gosling plays middle school science teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. All he knows is that his crewmates are dead and he’s light years away from home. As his memory slowly returns, he grasps his mission: a mysterious substance is slowly killing the sun, and he’s tasked with discovering where it came from and how to stop it.
Grace must use all his scientific knowledge and outside-the-box thinking if he is going to save Earth from extinction. However, he eventually realizes he’s not alone in trying to save his home – his desperate solo operation has become an unexpected team effort.
We’re about a quarter of the way through 2026, but Project Hail Mary is the year’s best film so far. The narrative is compelling and timely, plus fans of the book will be happy to know it’s a faithful adaptation of the source material that also understands novels and movies are vastly different storytelling mediums.
Lord, Miller and Goddard absolutely nail the stakes Weir crafts in his book, both global and personal. In present-day scenes, Grace’s evolution from terrified amnesiac to hero plays out in realistic fashion, while the flashbacks establish the character’s talents, flaws and complex relationships with his colleagues – including Eva Stratt (a perfectly cast Sandra Hüller), the icy, take-no-prisoners head of the Project Hail Mary program.
Gosling is phenomenal, essentially starring in a one-man-show for huge chunks of the film’s running time. The flick could’ve been a disaster with the wrong casting, but the actor has a rare combination of movie star looks and an everyman quality that allows audiences to connect with him despite his A-list status.
From a technical standpoint, Lord and Miller make a brilliant decision to go with practical effects wherever they can, which makes a huge difference in terms of emotional investment. They’re assisted in this complex endeavor by Grieg Fraser’s stunning cinematography, Charles Wood’s intricate production design and a powerful score from Daniel Pemberton.
It’s hard to care about characters’ safety when they’re obviously standing in front of a blank canvas and talking to a tennis ball (basically every modern comic book movie), but the effort from cast and crew pays off. In fact, according to the directors, they didn’t utilize any green/blue screen for the spacecraft, the other sets or Grace’s surprise visitor.
People who’ve read Project Hail Mary know who I’m referring to, but those who want to go into the film totally cold should skip the next couple of paragraphs. I’ve got to get into some mild spoilers to assuage any anxieties that fans of Weir’s book might have.
Don’t worry, folks – Rocky is perfect. He’s easily the best part of the film thanks to his practical design and James Ortiz’s endearing voice work and puppeteering. It’s so refreshing to see Gosling interact with an actual object in front of him, rather than a computer spitting out a shiny cartoon a few months later in postproduction.
I’ve heard quite a few people compare Rocky to E.T., which I totally get. The dynamic between Grace and his new partner is very similar to Elliott and his stranded friend, which makes the movie fly by. That’s quite an accomplishment considering it’s nearly three hours long.
Project Hail Mary, in addition to becoming an instant sci-fi classic, proves Lord and Miller have been away from filmmaking for far too long. We could’ve had their version of a space adventure with Solo several years ago (I’m still mad at Disney for firing them), but their latest is more than enough to make up for that fiasco. I can’t wait to see what they direct next.
Project Hail Mary is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and suggestive references. Opens in theaters on March 20.
Grade: A
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
Comments
Post a Comment