Ryan Gosling has entered that pantheon of actors where i will happily go see literally anything he is in1, but it’s always nice when i wouldn’t have needed convincing in the first place, and as it stands, i probably would have watched Project Hail Mary even if it had starred Neil Breen. (…Maybe only once, though.)
Fundamentally this film is about bromance. Bromance between Ryan Gosling and a rock. And you never doubt the chemistry once. That’s movie magic right there.
It’s remarkable how well Lord and Miller nail the big, cosmic spectacle, and that classic Spielbergian sense of wonder, given that their only prior live-action director jobs have been broad comedies. Maybe Solo rubbed off on them?
Alternatively, i had always attributed much of the “hype moments and aura” in the Spider-Verse films to the directors and the animation team, but maybe these overworking assholes do know what they’re doing after all…
At one point, the ship’s computer says the journey home will take around four years, and that really took me out of it. Don’t they know Tau Ceti is twelve light-years from Earth? Are they stupid? Why even bother having it take years if you’re just going to ignore it?
Anyway, on the bus back i suddenly remembered that general relativity exists, and realised the movie was smarter than me. Embarrassing.
I remember thinking while watching, “Wow, this score is crazy intense,” and then up came Daniel Pemberton’s name in the credits. Of course. “Time Go Fishing” may well replace “No Time for Caution” as my music of choice to pipe through my headphones during takeoff on a plane. A potential Oscar winner? I should bloody hope so.2
Sandra Hüller is shockingly funny in this. Maybe i’m just used to seeing her in roles like “Nazi housewife” and “mariticide suspect”.
What i find most fascinating about Project Hail Mary is that this is a big, huge Hollywood action blockbuster… where nobody throws a single punch! The climactic show-stopping scene is a fishing trip. There’s not even a clearly defined villain; it’s just about cool dudes trying their best to fix a problem.
And you know what? That’s what we need. I’m only the seven trillionth person to say this, but in such pessimistic times, when we seem more than ever to be ruled by a mob of ignoramuses (ignorami?), it was lovely to watch a film with an overriding message of hope. I suspect this and Superman will mark a turning point in the cynical tide of pop culture.
TL;DR: 10/10, probably going to be my favourite film of the year, see it on the biggest screen you can.
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