Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary is a grand sci-fi odyssey that’s powered by the marquee magnetism of Ryan Gosling. Yet those expecting merely a straightforward save-the-world adventure will be surprised to discover that, at its midway point, the film (in theaters Friday, Mar. 20) takes an unexpected left turn into buddy comedy territory, pairing its Oscar-nominated lead with a most unique companion who seems destined to be one of the year’s breakout stars.
Rocky is a five-legged extraterrestrial from the planet Erid who looks like a rock spider, has no discernible face, communicates via a collection of whistles, hums, and groans, and likes to convey complex ideas using physical models. He’s an alien unlike any other, and he’s the undisputed scene-stealer of Project Hail Mary, whose second half is driven by his relationship with Gosling’s scientist-turned-astronaut Dr. Ryland Grace on the distant edge of the galaxy.
Based on The Martian author Andy Weir’s novel, Lord and Miller’s first directorial effort since 2014’s 22 Jump Street concerns Grace’s mission to visit the lone star in our solar system not affected by tiny organisms (known as “astrophage”) that are eating our sun and spelling doom for Earth.
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