Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
What Is Project Hail Mary?
There are moments in history when survival depends not on strength, but on cooperation, when the problem is too large for one person, one nation or one discipline. At those moments, the only way forward is together. Project Hail Mary begins with a crisis: Earth’s sun is dimming and humanity is running out of time. But what unfolds is not a story about catastrophe. It’s a story about ingenuity, humility and the radical act of working with someone with a completely different perspective. At its center is unlikely hero Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher who never imagined he would have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eventually, an even more unlikely partnership forms between two beings from different stars, bound not by language or biology, but by shared purpose. What makes Project Hail Mary resonate is not the scale of its crisis but the intimacy of its solution. It’s a story that suggests that survival is not a solo act and that hope is not a passive endeavor. Above all, it’s a story that contends that, even in the vastness of space, connection remains our greatest resource.
Directed by Academy Award® winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie), Project Hail Mary stars three-time Academy Award® nominee Ryan Gosling (La La Land, Barbie), Academy Award® nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest) and James Ortiz (The Woodsman). With a screenplay by Academy Award® nominee Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, The Martian) based on the novel by Andy Weir (The Martian, Artemis), the film is produced by Gosling along with Academy Award® nominee Amy Pascal (Little Women, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Lord and Miller, Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear) and Rachel O’Connor (Challengers, Spider-Man: Brand New Day), as well as Weir. It is presented by Amazon MGM Studios.
Nikki Baida (Strays), Sara Esberg (Moolight), Ken Kao (The Nice Guys), Lucy Kitada (Borderlands), Patricia Whitcher (Marvel’s The Avengers) and Goddard are executive producers. Ken Leung (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Milana Vayntrub (Werewolves Within), Lionel Boyce (‘The Bear’) and Priya Kansara (‘Bridgerton’) round out the cast. Joining Lord and Miller behind the camera are Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, The Batman), production designer Charles Wood (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Endgame), costume designers David Crossman and Glyn Dillon (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story) and film editor Joel Negron (Thor: Ragnarok, The Nice Guys). Academy Award® nominee Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Trial of the Chicago 7) is the film’s composer.
Why Should You See Project Hail Mary?
The novel Project Hail Mary is a great read. Not only does it tell a great story, it is also chock full of science. I co-teach a high school Physics class and we are listening to the audiobook version of the novel. The teacher with whom I work has created mini-lessons based on every chapter or half-chapter of the book. After we listen, for about 10 minutes at the start of class, he then has students take notes on the science from the book in their PHM notebook.
I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary. Ryland Grace is a difficult character and Gosling does a wonderful job portraying an imperfect person who has to discover who he is and really step up to save humanity. Similar to the book, the movie starts off with Grace in the middle of the mission and effectively uses flashbacks to reveal the background a bit at a time as the move progresses. The interaction between Grace and the alien known as Rocky was a favorite for me. As the two learn how to communicate with one another is humorous at times but also endearing as two very different life forms learn about one another and find similarities. Both characters exhibit child-like fascination in forming a friendship and working together to save both of their planets from a common threat.
While the story and acting are great, the cinematography and special effects are beautiful. Whether the characters are experiencing the weightlessness of space or artificial gravity created by centrifugal forces, the film does a great job taking the viewers there. The effects of portraying emotions on an alien with no face or facial features was well-done. Plus the colors of the planets and other space features makes the scenes of Ryland’s space walks breathtaking.
The book is full of science and scientific explanations to so many things that take place in the story. While the movie features scientific bases for the story, it is careful to not bog down the story with physics equations and astronomical facts. Those with an understanding of the science will appreciate how it is incorporated and those who just want to enjoy the story will not find themselves overwhelmed. The balance between the two is just right and keeps the film at just over 2 and a half hours. For those who want to know more about the science behind the story, I suggest reading the book.
This is definitely a movie you want to see on the big screen and I am glad I was able to watch it on a huge IMAX screen. While there is so much more I want to share about this fascinating movie, I don’t want to give away the story. It needs to be experienced firsthand as you view the movie. Though it focuses on saving the planet, it is also a great view of friendship and how we can have similarities with those who are extremely different from us. I found myself pondering that humanity is not limited to just humans. Having read the book, I was impressed with the movie. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to talk to a couple other people who watched the movie at the same screening. I asked if they had read the book and they responded that they did not even realize it was a book before the show but had only seen the trailers. They shared that they thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend Project Hail Mary and look forward to seeing it again when it releases in theaters on Friday, March 20th.
Here is the official trailer for Project Hail Mary.
