“Project Hail Mary”, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, hit local theaters on March 20, immediately soaring in positive reviews and impact. 

An adaptation of the original novel by Andy Weir, “Project Hail Mary” follows a science teacher, Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who has been sent into space to uncover the details of a mysterious substance called Astrophage, causing death to the sun. During his trip in space, Grace meets a rock-like loveable alien named Rocky (James Ortiz). The two spark an unlikely friendship, relieving their solitude in outer space. 

My personal review of the movie is glowing. In my opinion, space exploration films are hard to procure nowadays; the concept has been explored many times over. “Project Hail Mary,” however, is unique in its scope of the trope. The idea of the innocent and unprepared science teacher heading into space to save the galaxy is endearing, as is the film’s portrayal of outer space beings. One might suspect that the Astrophage would be antagonized, but the film represents quite the opposite. Although it’s the substance bringing death to the sun, a specific scene brings out the beauty in its existence. With amazing cinematography, the film presents the Astrophage in dazzling pink specs, as well as being useful for Grace’s fuel on the ship. 

Rocky and Grace’s friendship is heart-warming; Grace even creates a translation system for Rocky so that they’re able to communicate. The book is mostly inner dialogue, and I really admire how Lord and Miller were still able to capture the story’s essence in movie form without the need for constant dialogue—“show don’t tell”.

With a 4.3-star Letterboxd rating and 95% rotten tomatoes, “Project Hail Mary” is Ryan Gosling’s highest rated film, even surpassing “La La Land”.

Overall, I highly recommend seeing this film, especially in theaters. When I saw it the day it came out, the theater was filled to the brim and the room held its breath during nerve-wracking scenes. The cinematography, music, acting, all of it—I really appreciate this work and it quickly made its way onto my Letterboxd Top 4.