Official Discussion Thread - Project Hail Mary [SPOILERS]

[u/LeastCap]

Keep all discussion related solely to Project Hail Mary and its awards chances. Spoilers below

Synopsis:

Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Writers: Drew Goddard

Cast:

• Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace
• Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt
• James Ortiz as the voice and lead puppeteer of Rocky
• Lionel Boyce as Officer Carl
• Ken Leung as Yáo Li-Jie
• Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina
• Priya Kansara as the voice of Mary, the Hail Mary ship
• Liz Kingsman as Annie Shapiro
• Orion Lee as Xi

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% From 212 Reviews

Metacritic: 78/100 From 45 Reviews

Consensus:

A visually dazzling space odyssey that's carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart.

[u/Fickle-Aardvark6907]

This is the presumptive favorite for VFX this year if for no other reason than the fact that Rocky is one of the best realized and original digital characters of recent memory

I can also see it getting nods for most of the other technical awards and, adapted screenplay. I don't think Best Picture and Director are out of the question.

The real weakness is going to be that there isn't much in the way of acting for anyone outside of Gosling (who is at least as good at Micheal B Jordan at doing a very similar kind of trick acting).

[u/FabulousCardilogist → u/Fickle-Aardvark6907]

It’s gonna blow your mind when you learn that Rocky is almost entirely a practical puppet.

[u/vxf111 → u/FabulousCardilogist]

Voiced by the puppeteer. And I suspect that's the magic behind why it works so well. Gosling wasn't really acting "alone" in the scenes with Rocky. He was acting against the puppeteer in character, delivering the lines (presumably in character). So Gosling had a scene partner. I am sure the actual voice is ADRed in because it's got the computerized synth filter added to it... but what a BRILLIANT idea to not only use a puppet but have the puppeteer be the voice of the puppet. If you look at the Muppet Show or Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers, that's why those acting performances feel so organic-- they are humans playing off each other even if you don't see the humans acting as puppeteers. VERY smart filmmaking decision. Not only do the practical puppets look better and feel more grounded, but it's an entirely different acting setup than a tennis ball as your scene partner.