By David Slifer

Project Hail Mary was released on March 20 and stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, James Ortiz as the voice of Rocky and Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt.

The movie follows Grace, a man who has just woken up from a coma while in space and does not remember exactly who he is. As he gets his mobility back, he starts remembering who he was back on Earth and what his mission is in space. The mission is to find a substance to help destroy the molecules that are slowly eating the Sun. Along the way he continues to learn more about his life back on Earth, and he meets an alien named Rocky, a rock creature who is also a scientist on the same mission as Grace. As their missions continue, they become good friends who sacrifice so much for each other.

A big aspect of this film that many people enjoyed was the visuals. The setting of the movie consisted mostly of outer space and Grace’s ship. We see many different planets and visual angles that are seen in space. It is so pleasing watching as the setting changes and expands throughout the runtime as it helps to show the stakes that are at hand.

Gosling knocked it out of the park with his portrayal of Grace. He did a good job at portraying the thoughts Grace has when we see and learn more about his past and how he ended up part of the mission. Gosling also does a great job when it comes to the flashback scenes as we can see the change between him then and him now. His chemistry with Rocky is also well done. That was a job perfectly executed by Gosling, Ortiz and the animators.

This film, although based on a book, is not part of any big franchise. The trailers did their job well by making people intrigued. That excitement has helped this movie continue to grow at the box office. This gives some hope for indie films.