Project Hail Mary

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, this adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 novel was scripted by Drew Goddard, Oscar-nominated for adapting The Martian. Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes on a spaceship with no memory and must stop a mysterious substance dimming the Sun. Rocky, Grace’s alien partner, arrives only after the first third, per Variety; until then it is Grace alone plus flashbacks. In IMAX the space scenes fill a tall 1.43:1 frame and the Earth memories sit in 2.39:1 widescreen, so the frame tells you when you are. Cinematographer Greig Fraser gave a ship with no day or night a lighting cycle: cool blue mornings, warmer evenings, dim tungsten nights. Neal Scanlan designed Rocky; puppeteer James Ortiz and his team performed him on set opposite Gosling, and Ortiz’s recordings stayed as the voice. Shots a puppet could not manage, like Rocky rolling through the ship in his ball, went to Framestore’s animators. Fraser says no green screen was used: blackouts for space, grey screen for the planet Adrian. The directors showed filmmaker friends a cut of nearly four hours before bringing it down. A good fit if you can let a faceless puppet speaking in musical tones carry the emotion opposite Gosling. Not for viewers who want first contact in the opening minutes.