Is "Project Hail Mary" the new E.T.? Ryan Gosling heads into space to save the world with a new friend

There are many references that come to mind after watching Project: Hail Mary - The Last Mission. There is the imagery of Interstellar by Christopher Nolan. There is the narrative of The Martian, which in fact shares the same author of the novel it is based on, written by Andy Weir, the very same behind the sci-fi story brought to the screen by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

And it would be easy to say that Project: Hail Mary is a reinterpretation of the classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, but seen from an adult perspective: instead of processing absence through the character of Elliot in Steven Spielberg's film, this time it is a fully grown man who must confront his own fears, which on a smaller scale concern whether or not he believes himself to be brave, and on a larger one whether he is capable of saving the world.

The plot

The protagonist is professor Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who finds himself going from teaching middle school to drifting alone through space aboard a spacecraft. Why he has been sent there and what he is supposed to do is unclear to him. In a story that moves back and forth in time, between Earthly matters and adventures among the stars, in Project: Hail Mary - The Last Mission the protagonist, who has lost his memory, must figure out what he is doing in space and how to stop, if that is indeed his goal, a mysterious force that is dimming the sun.

In doing so, he will find an unexpected friend. An alien, Rocky, named after his rocky, spherical form. A connection that adds further echoes of contemporary science fiction, where Arrival immediately comes to mind, not only in the way the protagonist attempts to establish contact, but also in the effort to understand how to translate language between himself and his unusual companion in order to truly communicate.

In a film where the alien is not simply the one on the other side of the glass, as it was in the work of Denis Villeneuve, but is at the same time the human himself, seen as an unfamiliar and foreign creature by the being who becomes, in every sense, the co-protagonist alongside actor Ryan Gosling.

A hero and his responsibilities

Yet, in opening up so many hyper-medial pathways that lead into other universes, the work of Lord and Miller does not lack a core, a spark, a personality that makes this adaptation of Weir’s novel a standalone operation. A title that is highly recognizable precisely because of the signature style of the directing duo, who return to what they do best: telling epic stories infused with the traits of comedy.

A distinctly identifiable irony that they also bring into the film written by Drew Goddard. Added to this is the dimension of science fiction, from which, as always, the most human element cannot be separated, embodied by a protagonist who represents it in its purest form, tasked with nothing less than saving the Earth.

Within the grander plans of Project: Hail Mary, which for scientist Grace mean making contact with an extraterrestrial and protecting the planet, and for Lord and Miller mean crafting a blockbuster, there beats a heart that is more human than human, almost extra-human, so vast that it echoes across the galaxy. It is the story of an individual who feels the weight of responsibility, burdened by a mission he does not believe himself suited for.

He is the archetypal hero, someone who feels small and uncertain before the mysteries of the universe, yet precisely because he is alone, does everything in his power to protect it. To prove, even to himself, that there are things more important than us, things that often depend on us, even when we do not believe we are capable.

A journey through the galaxy of emotions

Marked by a profound tenderness that reaches even the most remote corners of the cosmos, Project: Hail Mary - The Last Mission presents a champion (and its opposite) who saves the day not to prove anything, but because he is truly in service of others, of loved ones, of friends, even of those he does not know but believes deserve to live.

In the film, certainly forced and left with few choices, he nonetheless rolls up his sleeves and accepts the responsibility of carrying the last remaining hope, not to prove he can succeed, but simply because it is the right thing to do.

Without the use of green screen, with a nearly analog Rocky, and an intimate relationship that explores the depths of solitude and connection with the other (especially because that other is alien), the film brings us close to the sun so we can feel as much warmth as possible. And it succeeds, leaving us up there for a moment, gazing at the stars before returning to place our feet back on our blessed Earth, just before the lights come back on in the cinema.