Andy Weir, who penned The Martian, also penned a companion piece (of sorts), Project Hail Mary. The former was brought to the screen by Ridley Scott; the latter by Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Spider-verse fame. Both adaptations hit it outta the park, and both are (to varying degrees) successors to old-school Star Trek (Ralph Senesky/Gene Coon's "Metamorphosis" leaps to the head of the comparative queue, with Winrich Kolby/Joe Menosky/Phillip LaZebnik's "Darmok" not far behind).
In addition, Project Hail Mary exudes elements of Duncan Jones' Moon, John Sturges' Marooned, Ron Howard's Apollo 13, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, Ronald Neame's Meteor, Michael Bay's Armageddon, George Pal's Destination Moon, Conquest of Space and When Worlds Collide. It also projects lots of alien-encounter suspense and engagement, all rendered in the conscientious spirit of Robinson Crusoe on Mars and Enemy Mine, where an Earthling and extraterrestrial join forces to overcome a major obstacle (and by saying "major obstacle" in Project Hail Mary's case, I'm making quite the understatement).
For this outing, Ryan Gosling is the Earthling, Dr. Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher, who stirs from his Rip Van Winkled slumber, weighed with amnesia, uncertain why he's on the spacecraft, the Hail Mary. However, as time progresses, he realizes he's been dispatched to induce an antidote to a sun-infecting organism, astrophage, which also by wild chance, acts at the fuel that sends the craft light years away to get the big, last-ditch ("Hail, Mary") job done.
He needs help, of course, and it just so happens that other lifeforms are attempting to eradicate the energy-sucking virus. As such, Grace befriends a resourceful, spidery-rock creature, which he names Rocky, (a puppet) enacted by James Ortiz, and the two combine their frantic intellects to stop the celestial plague. As one can deduce, the process is easier said than done, but this is science fiction, and thanks to mastermind Weir and seasoned screenwriter, Drew (The Martian/Cabin in the Woods/Cloverfield) Goddard, the implausible becomes plausible, with plenty of symbolic sweat on the brows of its adventurers, matched by reasonable, down-to-earth humor when required.
Intersecting the duo's toil is Sandra Huller's Eva Stratt (quite visible and essential for her dry, analytical lure, not to mention her Atlas-alluded responsibility), but we also have Milana Vayantrub, Ken Leung, Liz Kingsman, Orion Lee, Aaron Neil and Priya Kansara as Mary, the ship's voice. These personalities are there to fill the gaps, but their contributions to the bridges and flashbacks are important to understanding Grace and his plight.
The journey, from its startling start to its frantic finish, is a long one, but thanks to Goddard's streamlined script and Lord and Miller's tingling direction, it all zooms by, underscored by sublime visuals from Industrial Light and Magic/Frameworks/Sony Pictures Imageworks; Greig (Dune) Fraser's complementing photography; and Daniel (Spider-verse) Pemberton's welcoming score.
Some are hailing Project Hail Mary as a classic. In all sincerity, it's probably a tad too early to slap that prestigious label on it, but it's sure a good, sturdy exploit and one that I and others are apt to rewatch. That's implies a classic in the making. (Keep in mind: That which we return to holds eternal value.) Also, to its advantage, this one spits college-try optimism in the eye of cop-out pessimism. I believe such establishes a worthy message, no matter the time or place. I sure hope the idea takes serious root in all who experience it.
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