Shadows on the Wall | Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
scr Drew Goddard
prd Amy Pascal, Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Aditya Sood
with Ryan Gosling, Sandra Huller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Orion Lee, Aaron Neil, Liz Kingsman, Isla McRae, Bastian Antonio Fuentes, Richie Cheung
release US/UK 20.Mar.26
26/US MGM 2h36

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Infused with a wonderfully earthy sense of humour, this space epic catches the imagination with its complex story and engaging characters. The science sometimes feels baffling, requiring the viewer to simply let it go, but the story is thrillingly entertaining, as directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller so expertly balance comedy with intense action. They also manage to create an adorable alien buddy without ever getting sentimental.

When scientists discover that a mysterious space microbe is draining power from the sun, project manager Eva (Huller) hires brainy teacher Ryland Grace (Gosling) to train crew for a last-gasp, one-way mission to save the world. When he wakes from stasis, Grace is alone, far from Earth and also not alone: another ship is nearby manned by a stone-based lone survivor. As they develop ways to communicate, Grace names him Rocky, and they discover that they're on the same mission. So they team up in a desperate attempt to keep their suns from dying.

Maintaining a snappy pace over two and a half hours, this is a hugely involving adventure that continually disarms the audience, using off-handed banter to reveal delightful character quirks. Meanwhile, the designers create some of the most inventive sci-fi settings in recent memory, from Grace's cluttered chaos to Rocky's almost impossible to grasp but achingly cool ship, which is seemingly made from a living mix of metal, glass and stone. Several of the effects sequences are dazzlingly beautiful, especially on a large-format cinema screen.

It also helps that Rocky is performed using puppetry (performed and voiced by Ortiz, with visual digital clean-up), which places him firmly in the scenes with Grace, even though they must remain separated by glass for atmospheric reasons. With terrific physicality, Gosling manages to create unusual chemistry with his eyeless new pal, and their friendship fuels the story far beyond the technical details of their desperate mission. It's fascinating to watch Grace use a computer to decode Rocky's language so they can speak to each other. Rocky's running-gag malapropisms need to enter the lexicon: "Fist my bump!"

Along with Grace and Rocky's story, a parallel flashback narrative depicts the run-up to the project's launch, beautifully played by Gosling and Huller, who skilfully finds nuance in Eva's determined drive to secure Earth's future, especially in an instantly iconic karaoke moment. Without pushing a message, these scenes add thematic depth to the film's popcorn-style pleasures. The result is an immensely crowd-pleasing movie that leaves us with plenty to think about.

themes, language, violence 2.Mar.26

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