Project Hail Mary - The scoop and digest

Based on Andy Weir's 2021 novel of same name, sci-fi adventure is written by Drew Goddard and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Ryan Gosling - Dr. Ryland Grace

Sandra Hϋller - Eva Stratt

James Ortiz - Rocky¹

¹Ray Porter and Meryl Streep provide additional voices.

Summary

Ryland Grace awakes on a spacecraft light years from Earth, with no recollection of how he got there.

He begins to remember that he was a science teacher, proficient on the Sun dimming, and the Petrova line.

Dim is caused by the increase of Astrophage on the surface, which over time, will cause the Sun to die.

Scientists discover that microorganism breeds on Venus, feeding off the planet's carbon dioxide and energy from the Sun, also determining it is also an effective, if volatile fuel source.

Ryland's superior announces Project Hail Mary, a plan to send its crew on a suicide mission to Tau Ceti, the only unaffected nearby star.

In the present, Ryland approaches Tau Ceti and a spacecraft docks with the Hail Mary.  The pilot is a friendly crab alien from 40 Eridani, which he names "Rocky", after bodily composition and Rocky Balboa.

A sweet relationship develops, with Earth's future resting on their shoulders.

Medium rough texture circle planet

The first hour was pretty boring, but the main star is a puppet, exuding charm, personality and swagger.

All of that wouldn't have been possible if character was CG.

Lashings of Silent Running (1972) and "Max" and David in the forgotten Flight of the Navigator (1986) is filtered for the modern audience.

As expected, there are multiple differences between live-action and source material, but ditching science babble made sense, as did increasing the size of titular spacecraft, giving Grace literally more room to manoeuvre.

Odd couple share some genuinely touching moments, but Rocky putting himself in grave danger to rescue Grace packed an emotional punch.

Oh, Rocky isn't without Adrian, as planet Tau Ceti e is dubbed so, where odd couple gather predatory lifeform Taumoeba, which eats the Astrophage.