Project Hail Mary is another of those films I’ve ignored countless recommendations for. Ahead of this evening’s solar eclipse, however, I finally caved in – and found swept up in a surprisingly moving sci-fi that takes as much wonder from its humanity, as it does from the endless majesty of space.
Just because you find a void, doesn’t mean you have to scream into it. Most of the great sci-fi classics find a lone human, drifting aimlessly through the endless vacuum, to test the limits of the individual mind. The solitude is all-consuming, but it also pushes the hero to new heights of brilliance. In The Martian, Matt Damon’s astronaut finds himself having to terraform Mars by himself; in Gravity, the stranded Sandra Bullock must jerry-rig a marooned space capsule to re-enter orbit; while in Interstellar a sobbing Matthew McConaughey bends time and space in his quest to return to Earth. And of course, in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Keir Dullea is transformed into a giant omnipotent space-foetus.
Something about the endless nothingness above us begs for it to serve as the setting of endless libertarian thought experiments. At last, a place where man really can be an island. Just think of the true levels of greatest to be attained by lone individuals, unable to turn to the state for support, or weighted down by the demands of communal living.
Project Hail Mary pays homage to many of these films – and has more than a hint of their libertarian spirit about it. But the key difference is that while Ryan Gosling’s enjoyably goofy character – a humble science teacher, turned solar system saving astronaut – Ryland Grace does reach new dimensions of potential, when space pushes him out of his comfort zone, he doesn’t become great until he finds someone else to interact with.
Waking up aboard a silent space craft, Grace finds the two other members of the crew have passed away in transit. Adrift in the dark, he struggles to recover his memories of who any of them are, or why he is there at all. But as time passes, a vague picture begins to emerge as he interacts with the ship’s auto-pilot – he is part of a last-ditch effort to save the Earth’s Sun, which is having its power drained by an extraterrestrial unicellular organism, dubbed “astrophage”.
Journeying to a distant star – the only one where the astrophage is not devouring the solar system’s only source of power – the team were to report their findings, while accepting there would be no journey home. The exact details of Grace’s story unfold throughout his remaining journey; and while I am keen not to spoil the twists and turns of that, one of the most important things to remember is that he is not here for a sense of glory, or the idea of being a humble sacrifice. He is a ‘hero’ who has been inserted into this scenario largely against his will.
While some of this comes out during his interactions with the ship’s AI, however, this is not the other presence who helps bring the best out of him. That comes when the film suddenly (and having avoided all trailers, unexpectedly for me) transitions into a film about extraterrestrial friendship. ‘Rocky’ – so called, because they resemble rocks – is a fantastic effort in imagining what non-humanoid life might resemble elsewhere in the galaxy. But while Rocky hums and purrs in a way that will leave you wondering “would my dog/cat go to these ends for my sake”, they are also Grace’s intellectual equal.
This means that at the heart of everything which follows, the key to Grace flourishing in this hostile environment – and to fulfil his mission against all odds – is soon presented as a blend of collaboration, and companionship. There is a gentle warmth running through Project Hail Mary, which it is all too tempting to write off as hokey pop-corn entertainment – but in this context feels like it is genuinely an important point.
Sure, Danny Boyle’s beautiful Sunshine arguably did this, while also committing steadfastly to a downbeat-upbeat ending. Project Hail Mary suffers a little from being too averse to have bad things happen to its characters – to the extent even one of the most traumatic of Grace’s memories later finds him all too ready to forgive and forget. But for one thing, this kind of story is great for teaching your kids about the value of collaboration and companionship, both to enjoy healthy, happy lives; and to be able to survive and move beyond moments of exploitation or abuse. For another, frankly, you’re not going to show your kids Sunshine – you’re going to show them the film with the squeaking pet-rock.
The point here is to show that for all the spectacle around us, often in our lives, the things we expect to take for granted are the most wonderous. While we like to imagine we can make the best of ourselves by freeing ourselves from the constraints of society, of our emotions and responsibilities – in truth, it is in those interactions where we find our best selves. Even when we find ourselves in the bleakest of situations, in worlds not of our making, having to deal with choices made for us, we can find solace in each other. That can be the first step to bettering ourselves, and the world around us. And that’s every bit as wondrous as a solar eclipse.
