Project Hail Mary, 2026.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce.
SYNOPSIS:
Project Hail Mary gets its requisite 4K Ultra HD release, although the bonus features are scant and there’s no code for a digital copy, nor an included Blu-ray. However, the film is a blast, so you may want this one anyway. Be aware, though, that a more elaborte edition is on the way as an Amazon exclusive.
Sometimes all I can say about a movie as the end credits roll is, “Well, that was fun.” And I don’t mean that in a snarky way — if a movie takes me on a fun ride through its story world, well, that’s enough to earn high marks from me.
Such was the case with Project Hail Mary, which was released earlier this year and was based on the 2020 novel by Andy Weir. It stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher sent aboard the spaceship Hail Mary to the Tau Ceti system, where he and his two crew members will examine its star to try to understand why it’s not affected by a substance dubbed “astrophage,” which is dimming our sun and will cause catastrophic global cooling within 30 years.
We begin the story en media res, as Ryland wakes up from an induced coma onboard the Hail Mary. He has amnesia, which allows him to be our access character to the present day of this story world, where his crew members are dead and he meets up with an alien spacecraft carrying its own sole survivor of a similar mission.
Flashbacks tell us how Ryland got there: he was a molecular biologist who pissed off enough people that he ended up having to teach to make a living. However, that knowledge and skill makes him a perfect candidate for the trip to Tau Ceti, one that will be a suicide mission, since the Hail Mary can’t carry enough fuel for a return trip to Earth.
In the present day, Ryland meets his alien counterpart, who he calls “Rocky,” and figures out how to communicate with him so that the pair can work together to save both of their civilizations. The role is a perfect one for Gosling, who brings plenty of “aw shucks” folksy attitude to the part, coupled with enough edge that it’s easy to see how he rubbed so many people the wrong way back on Earth.
The bulk of the film is Ryland and Rocky’s story, as they move from a somewhat adversarial relationship to one based on, well, love. While it’s a pretty predictable plot, it’s still a lot of fun watching the two characters evolve, which, like I said at the beginning of this review, is enough to make me happy.
Unfortunately, this 4K Ultra HD edition of Project Hail Mary is a bit puzzling, since there’s no code for a digital copy, no included Blu-ray, and scant bonus features. A more elaborate special edition is in the works, although it’s an Amazon exclusive and won’t be available for another two months.
The extras kick off with an informative commentary track by co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who provide plenty of great details about the making of the film. You also get nearly ten minutes of deleted scenes, some of which contain some enjoyable improv by Gosling, and Earth’s Favorite Eridian, a nearly eight-minute featurette about Rocky and how he was brought to life for the movie.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
