Although 2026 is only halfway done, “Project Hail Mary,” just asserted itself as one of the best movies of the year.
Based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, “Project Hail Mary” takes viewers across galaxies with Ryland Grace, ( played by Ryan Gosling,) on his journey to find a solution for the Sun dying. Scientists discover an alien microbe, known as astrophage, that feeds on solar energy. Over time, astrophage will consume the entire Sun’s mass, which will lead to mass extinction, famine and war on Earth. However, it’s not just our Sun that is affected; all across the galaxy, stars are an all-you-can-eat buffet except for Tau Ceti. Reaching the star will be the most ambitious project humankind has ever taken on but the only chance of salvation lies within Tau Ceti’s atmosphere.
While near Tau Ceti, Grace encounters Rocky, an alien tasked with saving Erid, which is his home planet. Together, they embark for Tau Ceti to unveil the mystery of its invulnerability to astrophage.
With a runtime of 136 minutes, or just over 2.5 hours, “Project Hail Mary” doesn’t contain a single scene that doesn’t contribute to the plot and emphasize the wonders of scientific exploration and friendship.
Among the movie’s many victories, is the portrayal of Rocky and Grace’s friendship. Although their friendship originally starts from a common goal, it blossoms into camaraderie that risks life and death for each other.
The duo aren’t just shut-in scientists who never leave the lab, they’re fun-loving and hilarious scientists. There were countless scenes that made the theater howl with laughter. One of my favorites goes like this:
Grace is headed for a particularly dangerous spacewalk. As he exits the spaceship, Rocky says, “Words of encouragement!”
Grace retorts, “You can’t just say words of encouragement, you have to actually say something.” Rocky says, “Words of GREAT encouragement!”
Furthermore, depicting Rocky’s character comes with a variety of challenges.
To start, he doesn’t have a face. How do you portray joy, despair, anger, without any facial expressions? The answer lies in body language…yet here comes another problem: Rocky doesn’t have a human body.
Yet, James Ortiz, the lead puppeteer and voice actor of Rocky, manages to make the extraterrestrial feel as human as anyone else. The secret to his brilliant puppeteering lies in months of practice, improv on set with Ryan Gosling, and understanding Rocky’s character at heart.
Ortiz did an interview with Variety to explain who Rocky really is.
“Rocky is super intelligent and has a mind like a computer — you never have to say anything twice to him,” Ortiz said. “He’s a brilliant engineer. But his soul, to me, always felt like that of a little brother. There’s a little bit of this anxious, 14-year-old boy who really wants to be invited to the party” (Variety).
Furthermore, “Project Hail Mary” stuns viewers with rich color and out-of-this-world cinematography.
Just one example is the viral scene of Grace orbiting around Tau Ceti with its neon green and orange atmosphere is impressive enough standing alone, but once the screen fills with bright pink orbs that act like microscopic mirrors, viewers are rendered speechless.
The film uses practical effects to accomplish visuals like that, which creates a richer image than CGI could recreate.
Finally, “Project Hail Mary” serves as an umbrella to protect movie-goers from the tragic downpour of 2026’s world events, even if just for 136 minutes. There is a lot of turmoil on a global level and the news delivers daily tragedies. The movie offers a reality in which humanity collaborates internationally to solve a common problem. Perhaps that fantasy could become a reality given enough time, change, and hope.
If you want to find out what happens to Earth and Erid, make some popcorn, get comfortable and watch “Project Hail Mary.” It’ll change your life.
