“See it, Stream it, Skip it” is a movie review column giving readers spoiler-free reviews of new box office films and reporting back on whether readers should see it now, wait until it comes to streaming services
or skip it altogether.
Plot Summary:
Middle school teacher and disgraced scientist Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of how he got there or why.
As his memory slowly returns, he must embark on an interstellar mission to find the cure for a mysterious substance that is slowly sapping energy from the Sun, threatening extinction to all life on Earth.
Grace must find a solution in the face of almost certain death, and he might not be the only one among the stars.
Review:
A lot of buzz is generating online about Ryan Gosling’s newest project on the big screen, “Project Hail Mary.”
As a huge fan of the original novel, I was skeptical that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller could stick the landing.
I felt the story couldn’t be improved, only told through a new medium. Still, I went to see a showing of the
“Project Hail Mary” as early as I could.
And while I was miffed that certain intricacies from the novelization were omitted, “Project Hail Mary” is a certified touchdown, Houston.
The casting of Ryan Gosling for the head role of Ryland Grace was simply phenomenal.
While the script makes Grace perhaps a little more buffoonish than he was in the novel, he still gets plenty of time to showcase his doctorate know-how.
Gosling has an irresistible charm with all his human counterparts, but he really shines through with the nonhumans.
Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz) is an extraterrestrial alien Grace meets during his journey to save Earth.
The movie is crafted around the friendship of Rocky and Grace and is better because of it, even if it means spoiling one of the better twists of the book.
Gosling’s performance was heightened by having an actual Rocky to act against. Rocky was done with practical effects, puppeted by a five-person team aptly named the Rocketeers.
The practical effects are only a small snippet of “Project Hail Mary”’s amazing visuals. The interstellar planets are beautifully animated and literally jaw-dropping.
The fact that a movie set in space can look this convincing might be reason enough to see the film.
The visual brilliance is even more impressive when you learn the film used practical sets with no green screens. The sound design is nothing to scoff at either.
Incredible music undertones the story well, but nothing is as poignant as the scenes of silence.. It feels wrong to nit-pick such a phenomenal movie, but it’s not perfect.
While “Project Hail Mary” is absolutely incredible, there are some glaring issues, both as an adaptation and as a movie.
Throughout the story, Grace is suffering from amnesia, and the flashbacks throughout the movie are supposed to be him remembering the info in the moment.
This depiction is a little rocky. If I hadn’t already known this detail from the book, I’m not sure I would have picked it up.
Luckily, the pacing of the flashbacks is well-timed so that all the new info learned with each scene still makes sense.
It’s odd to ask for a two-and-a-half-hour-long movie to be even longer, but it could have used just a little more.
Lost in the quick pacing are many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments (such as Grace writing on a whiteboard “WHO AM I,” which is supposed to be one of the big clues he has amnesia), enough that audience members will miss a few.
All the nitpicks pale to what I felt was the biggest adaptation issue: the bastardization of the human characters Grace leaves on Earth.
Most of the named characters’ limited screen time goes to exposition. The flashbacks in the book are exposition-heavy, but the characters actually get time to be characters.
The most drastic changes are with Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller).
The book gives her much deeper characterization that makes you really understand why she’s specifically placed in charge of saving the world and running Project Hail Mary.
These changes were especially disappointing since Lord and Miller added new original scenes to otherwise flesh out the humans.
When I left the theater after my first viewing, I was pretty annoyed by these alterations. I knew the movie was good, but between the pacing issues and character changes, it felt like the film left so much out.
But, upon further reflection (and a second viewing), I’m not sure these changes or omissions matter.
Lord and Miller altered the human characters because the point of “Project Hail Mary” is not Ryland Grace going on a mission to save his friends; in fact, it is the opposite.
The point is a collective idea—a hope—that the entire world could work together for one moment to save humanity. The point is the extra focus on Grace and Rocky. The point is that through unlikely friend-ship, even in the face of insurmountable odds, anything is possible.
“Project Hail Mary” isn’t a hero’s journey—it’s a blueprint for a better world. While the changes from the novel are definitely missed, the movie is still incredible regardless.
“Project Hail Mary” delivers a much-needed beacon of hope to our real-life world. Every day, I read the news and grow more and more disappointed with mankind.
Truthfully, the concept of humanity working together may be the most unrealistic part of a movie featuring interstellar travel and extraterrestrial life.
But for a fleeting two hours and thirty-six minutes, I can pretend that we could unite for one moment.
“Project Hail Mary” is not a perfect book-to-movie adaptation.
But it’s pretty damn close, and Lord and Miller created something both thematically unique and perfectly grounded in the original source material.
“Project Hail Mary” can only be experienced in its truest element on the big screen. Statement.
Go buy yourself a ticket now, and then buy a copy of the original book or the incredible audio-book on Audible. I promise you will be “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!”
FINAL VERDICT:
SEE IT.
4.5/5.0
Astrophage cells
