This film is one of my favourite films of the year and is definitely in my top ten of all time. I loved the book by Andy Weir when I read it, and this is one of the few instances where the film and the original source material complement each other brilliantly, and neither detracts from the experience.

Ryan Gosling is perfectly cast as Ryland Grace a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship, light-years from Earth. As his memory comes back in flashbacks, we learn the mission he’s on: find a way to save Earth’s star from going out. It’s being fed on by astrophage. The star at Tau Ceti has the same astrophage, but for some reason isn’t dimming.

He soon discovers he’s not alone out here; he encounters a strange alien who has come to the star for the same reason. Can the pair figure out how to save their respective worlds as they learn to interact and communicate with each other?

Filled with beautiful sets and practical effects, Project Hail Mary is a towering achievement. Gosling is able to balance the humour of situations with the gravity needed for the actual scenario. He makes Grace relatable, and his interactions with the alien, christened Rocky (James Ortiz), feel natural and joyous.

There’s so much to love about this film, and there are so many things I would choose to highlight. One of my favourites is the fact that everything in space is shot in the IMAX format, while flashbacks and everything confined to Earth (barring a few transition shots) are in widescreen.

Lord and Miller are able to stay faithful to the source material while they and Gosling (and Rocky) make the film version their own. There are delightful needle drops, hilarious moments, and heartfelt ones.

This is a movie that blew up at the box office and wasn’t based on a comic book, wasn’t a sequel; it was, all in all, something new to the big screen, proving that if the film is well-made, if it invests you in the stories and the characters, it will find an audience.

I’ve seen this one three times now, and am eager to watch it again. This is one of those wonderful cinematic experiences, akin to going to a Spielberg blockbuster back in the day. There’s a movie magic to it akin to Close Encounters and E.T., and Gosling proves that he, as an actor, can do absolutely anything.

There’s not a single thing I don’t love in this moment. I absolutely love Grace, Rocky, Eva (Sandra Huller), and Carl (Lionel Boyce). There’s a fantastic score, and there’s so much to get out of this film with each viewing; there are details and moments that find new meaning.

This is a brilliant film and is now an all-time favourite. I loved this movie.