It's easy to get bogged down by all the negativity going on in the world. It's easy to see all the ugly in the world and ignore all the beauty. Project Hail Mary is based on the novel by Andy Weir and it's full of unexpectedly tender moments. Ryan Gosling stars as a reluctant astronaut who wakes up all alone in space, but meets someone unexpected who reminds him of all there is to fight for.
Gosling is Ryland Grace and we first meet him as he wakes up from an induced coma in a spaceship far from Earth. He's disoriented and has no memory of what he's doing there. The ship provides him with technical support, but no information beyond that. He also discovers that he's the sole survivor of the crew of three. He looks through belongings and ship logs, but nothing immediately jogs his memory.
We piece his story little by little through a series of flashbacks. Grace is a science teacher who lets his students know that the sun is slowly dying. Space organisms are eating it and it only has about 30 years before it's gone and the Earth is sent into a catastrophic extinction. One day he is approached by scientist Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller). He assists Stratt with the investigation into the "astrophage" and eventually ends up on the mission.
Grace is utterly alone. He has no idea why he's there and he has no one to ask. Eventually though he forms a friendship with an unlikely creature while in space. He comes across another spaceship and while he tries to escape from it, it is relentless in its pursuit and eventually makes contact with him. The other creature is the sole survivor of his mission. The creature is an extra terrestrial who looks like a pile of rocks and communicates initially with models. As the ETs spaceship is much more advanced, it manages to connect the two ships so that the two can meet face to face. Grace is able to connect his computer to a microphone and he starts making a dictionary of the ET's sounds so they can communicate via speech. Eventually he names the creature Rocky.
One of the things I was excited to find out was that this entire film was made using practical effects so Rocky is brought to life by an actual puppet instead of CGI. To me, this just makes the little creature all the more special. Grace and Rocky form a bond as they work together to save their respective planets. Grace knows that he will die on this mission. Rocky's planet is also in danger of being destroyed by the astrophage. The two are soon inseparable. They learn about each other and their lives. Rocky is able to make models of just about anything so they can get a visual of anything they are working on. Together they set out to save their planets and Rocky is determined to also help Grace get back home. After all, Rocky is no longer alone and is able to fix Grace's problem.
This is one of those films with a fake out ending. When you think the film is going to end, it doesn't and it is at this moment that film starts too feel a little too long. This project is different from directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord's previous works, but their previous works speak for themselves. They make good films and work well together. Ryan Gosling captures the loneliness of a man in space and the excitement of making a connection. He is the heart and soul of the film. Without his strong performance the film would suffer. He is smart, but charming. Once he teams up with Rocky, the film truly begins to soar. I'm sure having a tactile puppet to play off of rather than a green screen ball helped. Gosling is fantastic in the role. The unexpected team up is a wonderful way to remember that beauty can be found all around. It's also a good reminder that sometimes what we think we want, is not what we end up needing.
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