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Project Hail Mary is a fascinating movie. It starts off relatively seriously. There is humour throughout but it is still about the world coming to an end and an uncertain mission to save humanity. Then, gradually, almost imperceptibly, in small increments, it becomes sillier and sillier until it ends on a final shot that feels like it is from a different, much more broadly comedic, film all together. I’m not sure I ever seen anything quite like it. It starts off as Interstellar and ends up as Galaxy Quest. 

It sounds like I’m being critical, and I guess I am, but I still I loved it. The slightly daft elements notwithstanding, this is big, intelligent sci-fi and I am always on board with that. I love vampires, cowboys and inter dimensional infractions and all that but the way I was raised by both my father and George Lucas means I have a real fascination with space and this movie gives this in droves. I don’t think it is over stating it to say this is a new 2001 in how it takes one man on a mission to search for answers in a spectacular cosmos. I actually like this more than Kubrick’s masterpiece because it is more engaging and despite being a similar length, has much better pacing. The imagination behind the story is arguably stronger too as humanity strives not to improve itself through discovery but to survive through necessity. The stakes are higher for sure and it leads to some extreme measures being taken, not by cracked AI but by desperate people.

Ryan Gosling is much better company than Keir Dullea as well (I’m sorry, Dave!) Gosling’s charisma here is off the scale; shining brighter than the stars he is travelling to. Large sections of the running time feature just him and he carries this magnificently. His comic timing has the same precision as the technical instruments on his spacecraft and both aspects synchronise perfectly. It’s no great spoiler to reveal that he makes first contact on his voyage and the alien he meets is properly otherworldly too (created with no CGI). This is not Star Trek where skin colour and some well placed prosthetics on the nose and forehead mark the measure of an entirely different process of evolution, this E.T has no human characteristics at all. Like most movie martians he doesn’t wear clothes either but that makes logical sense here. (Although having highlighted the originality in the design, said creature does look a teeny bit like a Space Invader.) 

It/he is just there to help though and what ensues is the best bromance between a dude and an object since Cast Away, or even Gosling’s own Lars and the Real Girl. In fact with that, this and Barbie, Ryan Gosling has probably cornered the market on ‘guys hanging out with toys’ stories. (This one is already on sale in 8inch plush form in all good stores, recommended retail price £18.99.) There are also some strong supporting performances with no puppetry as well, especially from Sandra Hüller and Lionel Boyce.

In terms of the switching tone of the whole thing, it does work. I can see some audiences might struggle with the more ridiculous bits but directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have juggled this sort of thing before in everything from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie and the Spider-verse and they mix laughs with drama and genuine emotion. Here they combine with screenwriter Drew Goddard and author Andy Weir, who last collaborated themselves on The Martian, and it is an effective meeting of minds.

Project Hail Mary is great then. It is epic, ambitious, imaginative, intelligent, thrilling, awe inspiring, moving, witty and yes, occasionally ludicrous. It has huge family appeal without concession to any age group and is so far the best movie of the year.