When writing a movie review, it is important to consider each area of discussion: plot, acting, visuals, soundtrack, etc. It is safe to say that Project Hail Mary knocked it out of the park in all of these categories. Right off the bat, the movie addresses the problem: a foreign micro organism from space called “astrophage” is essentially killing the sun and draining it of its solar energy. The protagonist, Dr. Ryland Grace, portrayed by A-lister Ryan Gosling, is approached by an international team attempting to solve this world threatening problem. After many hours investigating the astrophage particles in a lab, and a plot twist I will keep a secret, Grace is sent to outer space to lead this mission.
For those of you who are big Interstellar fans like myself, the two movies both share the early plot of an “ordinary” yet qualified protagonist getting sent on a potentially earth saving space mission. Cooper from Interstellar, is a former NASA test pilot and engineer, living as a farmer, and most importantly, a father. In Project Hail Mary, Grace is a former molecular biologist who became a middle school teacher. Now that you have a basic intro summary of the plot, let’s get into the categories. Listed below, are my personal movie rating categories, and explanations.
Characters (and their likability): 9/10
The second that the extra-terrestrial “Rocky” got in frame, audiences fell in love. During the space mission, Grace meets a strange almost spider like alien with a rock like texture. One of my favorite parts of the movie was the development of communication between Grace and Rocky. Rocky is unable to communicate in the same language as Grace, so Grace makes a computer system translator. For the vast differences between the two, they form an incredible and unique bond, a truly iconic duo, frequently making jokes that gave the whole theater a good laugh. Rocky’s “simple” word use created many fan favorite lines like “fist my bump”. Individually, Grace is an extremely lovable protagonist; simply just a nerdy middle school teacher who embarks on an intergalactic journey. After having seen him in other movies such as “La La Land” (another one of my favorites), Barbie, and The Notebook, I was pleasantly reminded of Ryan Goslings amazing range and outstanding acting performance. While I have not read the book, Gosling in my opinion brought some amazing elements to the character. I thought he did a great job of bringing a deep emotional performance while mixing in the characters lovable humor and nerdiness.
Plot: 8/10
Personally, I thought the plot was extremely interesting, as someone who isn’t well informed about space, physics, etc, it was slightly confusing at times, but easy to understand the general topics. As I mentioned before, I also love the sort of underdog taking on a big mission pipeline that this movie followed. It was also a very well spaced out movie in my opinion; it gave just enough lead up time to when Grace actually goes to space to introduce the topics and characters.
Soundtrack: 10/10
As a big music person, I thought the soundtrack was amazing, probably one of the best movie soundtracks I have seen. I can’t imagine it is easy to score a film that has elements of drama, comedy, adventure, and bittersweet sadness; but they truly did an amazing job. The song that stuck out most to me was “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. It was first used in a bar karaoke scene where various members of the team are sort of having their last “hurrah” before Grace goes on the mission. One of the other main characters Sarah Huller, a leading member of the international mission team, does a beautiful and heartfelt rendition of the song. The lyrics perfectly incapsulate the emotional reality of the space mission, all that is at risk, and the life we take for granted. While the entirety of the soundtrack was amazing, they couldn’t have picked a better song that would later become the anthem of the movie.
Visuals: 10/10
As a photographer, I love some good visuals; and Project Hail Mary delivered. I am not familiar with the technology and processes used for special effects but every space shot was absolutely amazing. While watching the film, I could tell that with every square inch of the screen was so much attention to detail. There were a few different frames where Grace was floating in space near the spacecraft, looking out into the vast landscape, and it was a masterpiece. The colors were outstanding, every particle came together to create a beautiful shot. There was also lots of incorporation of unique angles and shots that clearly demonstrated lots of creativity by the makers. While Project Hail Mary will still be an amazing movie anywhere you watch it, seeing it on the big screen was a visual treat.
