Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary is a grand sci-fi odyssey that’s powered by the marquee magnetism of Ryan Gosling. Yet those expecting merely a straightforward save-the-world adventure will be surprised to discover that, at its midway point, the film (in theaters Friday, Mar. 20) takes an unexpected left turn into buddy comedy territory, pairing its Oscar-nominated lead with a most unique companion who seems destined to be one of the year’s breakout stars.
Rocky is a five-legged extraterrestrial from the planet Erid who looks like a rock spider, has no discernible face, communicates via a collection of whistles, hums, and groans, and likes to convey complex ideas using physical models. He’s an alien unlike any other, and he’s the undisputed scene-stealer of Project Hail Mary, whose second half is driven by his relationship with Gosling’s scientist-turned-astronaut Dr. Ryland Grace on the distant edge of the galaxy.
Based on The Martian author Andy Weir’s novel, Lord and Miller’s first directorial effort since 2014’s 22 Jump Street concerns Grace’s mission to visit the lone star in our solar system not affected by tiny organisms (known as “astrophage”) that are eating our sun and spelling doom for Earth.
Grace awakens from a medically induced coma on his ship, both confused and petrified, the latter because his two crew members have died during the course of the journey. By himself and overwhelmed by the responsibility with which he’s been saddled, he does his best to complete his assignment, only to find—upon nearing his destination—that he’s perhaps not as alone as he originally assumed.
That’s because way out in the middle of the cosmos, Grace encounters a strange craft that mimics his own ship’s every movement. After initial contact is made, the vessel extends a bridge that tethers the two ships, and at the end of the long corridor, behind a crystalline wall, Grace meets Rocky.
Scampering about, Rocky uses miniature sculptures (which he’s previously sent to Grace) and tap-tap-taps on the wall to explain that he has the same task as the human: to figure out a way to halt the astrophage’s consumption of energy before his world dies.
As befitting a “hard sci-fi” tale that leans into realistic scientific concepts and laws, Project Hail Mary has this mismatched duo slowly devise a means of communicating, which is ultimately achieved when Grace develops a computer translation program that allows him to understand what Rocky is saying.
From there, the two develop a close, convivial rapport, with Rocky—whose own crew perished during the course of their venture—exhibiting an excitability, tenderness (he misses his own paramour back on Eridani), and sense of humor that’s all the more surprising and amusing when contrasted with his inexpressive and tough physicality.
Rocky is a charming would-be hero who grows more endearing as he and Grace strike up a true partnership, aided by the alien’s employment of translucent protective shields and tunnels to enter and move through Grace’s spaceship. Simultaneously skittering to and fro like an arachnid and crashing and racing about like an out-of-control bowling ball, Rocky (named after Sylvester Stallone’s iconic pugilist) is at once brilliant and childlike, formidable and vulnerable. And his bond with Grace grows stronger and more moving as the two are forced to undertake perilous action to fulfill their duty.
Handling both puppeteering and vocal duties as Rocky is James Ortiz, an award-winning multi-hyphenate artist who’s primarily worked as a stage puppeteer in productions such as the Tony-nominated “The Skin of Our Teeth,” “The Woodsman” (which he also directed), “Into the Woods,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”
In his feature-film debut, Ortiz—operating a variety of old-school puppets crafted by famed designer Neal Scanlan, who’s responsible for many modern Star Wars creatures—gives Rocky a three-dimensional personality that’s akin to a cross between E.T., Yoda, and Wicket the Ewok.
Still, despite his adorability, Lord and Miller never allow Rocky to become egregiously cutesy. This is no Baby Yoda. Curious, enthusiastic, and compelled by the same emotional impulses as his bipedal counterpart, he’s an interstellar traveler whose hard exterior masks his compassionate and creative heart.
Grace and Rocky’s relationship transforms Project Hail Mary from a familiar genre quest into a poignant portrait of bravery, sacrifice, teamwork, ingenuity, and how friendship (and, dare I say it in this context, love) inspires people to put others before themselves.
Gosling’s performance may give this surefire crowd-pleaser its larger-than-life charisma, but it’s his one-of-a-kind co-star—and the duo’s irresistibly touching connection—that makes Lord and Miller’s latest an out-of-this-world winner.
