Project Hail Mary

When times are tough and world-weary souls have looked for an avenue of escapism to retreat from their woes, worries and weltschmerz, they’ve often flocked to the movies to relieve that pent-up pressure. And, at a time when it feels like the world is going to you-know-where in a you-know-what (like now), that’s true more than ever. So it’s with that in mind that this much-anticipated sci-fi space adventure from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller enters the picture, a release promulgated with the hope of providing that much-needed and much-hoped-for entertainment remedy. Unfortunately, it comes up seriously short of the mark. When once-famous but now-discredited scientist Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) redeems himself by discovering the cause of a space-based catastrophe lying in wait with the potential to devastate the Earth, he’s “recruited” by an international panel of investigators (led by a regrettably miscast Sandra Hüller) to participate in a mission to resolve the issue. He’s reluctant to go, given personal misgivings and his lack of experience as an astronaut, apprehensions that are unsurprisingly confirmed when he wakes up from hibernation to find he’s the only member of his crew to survive. He’s thus left to teach himself how to pilot his spacecraft on his own and to look for a solution to the impending calamity, one that has apparently affected all of our neighboring solar systems but one. And, upon his arrival at that sole surviving locale, he encounters a stone-faced alien whom he names “Rocky” (voiced by James Ortiz) who has been dispatched from his home world to this same location for the same purpose. Perhaps working together will yield an answer for this unlikely duo, but first these two very different beings must learn how to communicate if they’re to collaborate successfully, a challenge almost as big as their scientific dilemma. While this may sound like a plausible premise for an escapist fantasy offering, problems arise not so much in the nature of the story but in its error-filled execution. For starters, at a runtime of 2:36:00, it’s too long to maintain viewer interest with what it has to work with. That’s because the treatment never takes itself seriously enough to make audience members want to care about the characters or the outcome. Instead of creating a thrilling and engaging space adventure, the film becomes more of a lightweight buddy movie (and a very silly, almost juvenile, one at that). Comic relief is one thing, but this production carries this idea way too far, and this ends up becoming a chief source of the picture’s desperate need for editing. On top of this, the narrative isn’t especially original, combining tropes found in releases like “Interstellar” (2014), “The Martian” (2015), and, even as unlikely as it may sound, “Cast Away” (2000), with visual elements that look like they were plucked from “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and “2010: The Year We Make Contact” (1984). And, speaking of visuals, the special effects are a decidedly mixed bag of images, with some stunningly beautiful and others that unbelievably look like they’re 40 years out of date (talk about continuity issues). Then there’s the lead performance by Gosling, who carries much of the picture by himself, again portraying (or attempting to portray) his signature supposedly soft-spoken everyman, but who, in this instance, routinely steps out of character and goes over the top with displays that are unmitigatedly hammy and cloying (much like his extraterrestrial co-star). Consequently, when all is said and done, “Project Hail Mary” comes up an unexpected disappointment, failing to deliver the goods that its marketing team so fervently promised. I realize that I probably sound cantankerous and curmudgeonly in my assessment and that this will likely end up being an unpopular opinion that goes against what most critics and viewers say about it, but I truthfully came away from this one feeling unsatisfied. Nevertheless, if you’re still compelled to see this one any way, at least do yourself the favor of watching it on an IMAX screen for best effect. But, if I were you, I’d wait for it to come to streaming instead.

I think this might be my favourite sci-fi film since “Galaxy Quest” (1999) and like that, this is a solid and entertaining story led by an actor who is quite possibly getting better looking and more charismatic as he gets older. “Grace” (Ryan Gosling) is the kind of interactive science teacher that I’d have loved. Few text books, just gadgets, gizmos and beanbag factoids that appear to keep his teenage students interested and enthusiastic. When he leaves one afternoon he encounters the enigmatic "Eva” (Sandra Hüller) who knows of his more rebellious past amongst the scientific community and who invites him to participate in a crucial and global project. The sun is dying, and rapidly, and they have identified what they think might be the cause. Quickly identifying what he calls the “astrophage”, he is soon aboard an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean working on an antidote that might be sourced from a star light years from earth. A scientist he wants to be - an astronaut, well that's a different matter - and so after an unfortunate explosion that’s where “Eva” has a difficult decision to make. Running in parallel to this thread is one on a spaceship in a galaxy far, far, away - and where it’s lone astronaut has met and befriended another wanderer looking for a solution to this intergalactic plague. The two are pretty much polar opposites. They’ve no language in common and they don’t even breathe the same air - but some technical legerdemain, sign language, model making and good old-fashioned goodwill might just help them find a solution in time? Aside from a couple of quite sparing interventions from Hüller - and a mean bit of her karaoke, this is really just Gosling demonstrating that cardigans are cool as he hurtles through space. The writing provides him with some quite witty dialogue a well as just an hint or two of actual science; the visual effects are impressive too but ultimately it’s his amiable characterisation that makes us smile and tugs at our heartstrings almost simultaneously as their story races along for a couple of hours mixing jeopardy, humour and the power of friendship into it as it goes. It looks great on a big screen and I'd certainly be up for a sequel.