2061 A Space Buddy Odyssey: 'Project Hail Mary' review

Project Hail Mary, adapted from the novel written by Andy Weir of the same name, hit IMAX screens around the world to kick off spring 2026. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who contributed to many recent masterpieces such as The Lego Movie, Clone High and of course Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, and written by The Martin scriptwriter Drew Goddard, the story would make any Star Wars fan jealous.

A man wakes up in a huge, sophisticated spaceship, and by putting elements of his memory back in order, he understands that he is there to save humanity. During his mission he encounters a new form of life and uses high-tech communication tools that will lead to an unlikely friendship with an alien that he named Rocky.

Ryan Gosling shines as he always does, by just being himself, in another charismatic, smart, funny, loveable and joyful character. The directing heavily insists on the beauty and physical condition of space, therefore the colours of the infinite emptiness really transport us in another world. It is important to add that the work on sound design isn’t negligible, it’s used to pace the story in a way that would make Kubrick proud of his heritage. The coup de maître of the movie is the story structure which intersperses segments in space during the mission with passages on earth, years earlier during project design. Like this the rhythm is perfectly crescendo and the final outcome delivers a better understanding of the film's message.

This recent story deals with themes such as communication problems, cultural differences and the future of humanity. These are themes which are at the heart of current affairs and which are at the origin of numerous artificial borders. It could be that to save the whole human race, learning to communicate with what looks like a rock is the best solution to resolve problems that are beyond rational proportion.

This masterpiece of a journey is already targeting the greatest special effects and cinematography of the year, helped by the work of the iconic Greig Fraser as cinematographer. At one of the toughest times in history, humanity is in front of an odyssey which aims to save the whole planet and any form of known life, just that. If only our only problem would be space malfunction dozens of light years away, but at least we can see what happens when we get through communication and cultural problems, may we save the day before going down to our Project Hail Mary.