Last month saw the highly-anticipated theatrical release of Project Hail Mary, a film based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir. Ryan Gosling stars as biologist turned school-teacher Dr Ryland Grace, who finds himself alone on a spaceship. The rest of his crew is dead, and he has no memory of his previous life. A mysterious substance is attacking the sun, and Dr Grace has been launched into space on a mission to find the solution — he must use his scientific expertise and the help of an unlikely friend to save humanity against all odds.
The film is utterly delightful — it is funny and poignant in equal measure and the intertwining of flashbacks and spaceship action gives the narrative a compelling pace. The soundtrack is wonderful and so effective with needle-drops like the Beatles’ ‘Two of Us’ and Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times’ being used particularly well. This two and a half hour sci-fi blockbuster is uplifted and propelled by its cheerful, bright tone and comedic emphasis. It is not aiming for the heart-wrenching melodrama of other space Epics and therein lies its charm: the audience is invited to experience the magnificence and peril of outer space through the eyes of a reluctant but loveable schoolteacher. This is only possible because of the performance that Gosling turns in. The film feels like a Ryan Gosling showreel at times as it is him at his absolute best – witty, vulnerable and charmingly flawed. His loveable charisma (Kenergy?) allows the movie to centre scientific exploration, rather than action sequences, without stifling the pacing or overloading the audience with scientific exposition.
This uplifting story of friendship, sacrifice and the true meaning of bravery will delight and endear audiences – what else is to be expected from a Ryan Gosling blockbuster?
Illustration by Mai Lawrence