SPOILERS AHEAD
On March 20, 2026 Project Hail Mary, based on the book by Andy Weir of the same name, released in theaters. The film was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The two collaborated on previous well-known projects, such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie, and 21 Jump Street. Starring Ryan Gosling, the sci-fi movie focuses on Dr. Ryland Grace—a charismatic, goofy middle school science teacher — as he wakes up on a space ship, almost 11 years away from Earth with no memory as to how he got there. Worse, as he explores the spaceship, he finds all of his crewmates dead. Receiving both critical acclaim and box office success, the movie quickly cemented itself as one of the standout movies of the year.
The film mainly conveys information about the futuristic, near-disaster world through a series of flashbacks. After being introduced to Grace, we learn from a mysterious woman named Eva Stratt that Grace has been recruited to be a part of a group known as the Petrova Task Force (of which Stratt is the chair). The group aims to neutralize the threat of Astrophage—an unknown alien parasite that appears to be feeding off energy from stars. The Astrophage has been feeding off the sun in particular, which poses a severe threat to life on Earth—with the death of the star causing a catastrophe. Recruited for his rebellious nature and tendency to push back against the scientific community, Grace joins the project and makes rapid progress on how to solve the Astrophage problem.
The rest of the movie explores how Grace is eventually sent to space in this pursuit as the information is slowly revealed. Although this conflict drives the movie, the most touching and memorable parts focus on Grace and his relationship with an alien he discovers in space, who he names Rocky. Their collaboration drives most of the movie, and it explores some of the movie’s key themes like what it means to be human, empathy, and selflessness.
Rocky is an Eridian, a species that resides on the planet of Erid. As described in his name, Rocky has a rock-like appearance. Due to the thick, high-pressure atmosphere of Erid, Rocky has no eyes, nose or mouth. Rocky somewhat resembles a spider with his five-legged figure.
Together, they team up to solve the star-eating dilemma, beginning a tumultuous and intense journey that highlights their genius, but also specific skill sets.
Due to these two characters being isolated alone in space, and since Rocky doesn’t speak in a human voice, Gosling is acting by himself for the vast majority of the movie. Despite the demanding aspect of the world, Gosling delivers a fantastic performance. He perfectly conveys each era of Grace’s life in a humble, imperfect way (highlighting the confliction and weight of his job Grace often feels), while still making him an incredibly funny character.
The acting is even more impressive when Grace starts interacting a lot with Rocky. Gosling brings the relationship to life, having great comedic timing and dialogue with the alien, almost to the point where you forget about the fact his character is interacting with what looks like a literal rock. The movie wouldn’t be nearly as impactful if his performance wasn’t as good, mainly because so much of the movie hinges on the relationship between Grace and Rocky.
The supporting roles are also performed very well, mainly with Sandra Hüller, who portrayed Eva Stratt with a seriousness that conveyed the darker parts of the movie well, while not seeming like a caricature of a stern government official. The scenes (although few) she has with Gosling display a very nuanced relationship, burdened by the weight of their mission.
In terms of cinematography, the movie is absolutely stunning. While in space, the scale feels very realistic, putting into perspective just how isolated Rocky and Grace are. When going on space walks or visiting stars, the movie becomes vibrant and colorful, creating some beautiful shots. Within Grace’s spaceship, creative shots and camera work are used to immerse viewers into their world, with perspective shifting a lot.
One other strength of the movie is the ability to build tension and leave you guessing what’s to come. The stakes are incredibly high, as not only are we invested in the two leads, but the entire Earth population that is facing imminent doom. With this comes many twists and turns for this dynamic duo, often times including times where there seemed to be points of no return. The plot in Project Hail Mary doesn’t feel like a typical apocalyptic movie where the heroes will escape the events and have a new beginning, despite the loss to others. Instead, there were moments in the movie where the audience genuinely doesn’t know if one or both of the protagonists would survive, especially towards the end of the movie. There were many moments where Rocky was set up to die—a move that would have been heartbreaking, but also aligned with the plot. Also, Grace was sent to space under the condition that there would be enough fuel for a one way trip, but not enough to bring him home—leaving him stranded in space until he runs out of food and fuel. Both protagonists end up surviving, but the tension built up over the characters always keeps the watcher guessing at whether or not they’ll make it in the end.
An outstanding positive of this film was the feel-good aspects sprinkled throughout. During the first half of the movie, while Grace and Rocky were getting to know each other, Rocky had mentioned his mate, Adrian. When Grace asked Rocky how long he and his mate had been together, Rocky told him 186.3 years. To Grace, and most humans, that seemed like a very long time, well over the human life-span. Nonetheless, Rocky still said it was “not long enough.” Rocky’s remark, and similar ones like it, gave the movie a very heart-warming touch. Another example includes when Grace and Rocky discovered a new planet. The cinematography in this scene was particularly beautiful, showcasing a wide array of colors and lights. When the pair were deciding on a name for this extraordinary planet, they decided on Adrian, to honor the remarkable beauty of both their discovery and Rocky’s life partner.
Another highlight of the movie is the comedic aspect. Even though the subject is very serious, the film is full of funny moments, mainly between Rocky and Grace. It never feels forced, or like a break from reality, but rather humanity showing through a very intense challenge. Furthermore, the movie’s ability to go from humor, to tension, to heartbreak is both extremely impressive and unique.
Despite the many positive aspects, there are a few minor issues with the movie. First, because it is a book adaptation, there are a few major events (mainly ones that were happening on Earth) that were cut from the film. Knowing what was happening on Earth during the many years that Grace and Rocky were in space could have heightened the stakes of the movie just a bit more.
Another minor, more unrealistic issue was how Rocky and Grace came to communicate. After their first couple of meetings, Grace quickly discovers that Eridians use echolocation to communicate. At first, they used a technological translator in order to communicate with one another. It’s the audience’s understanding that Grace must have created some sort of computer program for this translation to work, but there’s not really any explanation as to how that happens (especially considering that Grace’s background is in Biology). It’s almost as if they go from zero communication to close to fluency in a very short period of time.
From a storytelling standpoint, the pacing of the story is excellent. There isn’t a time that seems too boring, and every slow point is contrasted by an excess of action not long after. The story flows well, but there is another issue with how the movie handles time. When Grace gets sent to space, we are told that the trip he is embarking on will take 11 years to go one way. The audience is also told that within 25-30 years the Earth’s population could be reduced by 25%—at best. Despite the intense timing, it isn’t exactly made clear to viewers how much time has passed, or how the situation on Earth is progressing, making the movie lose its stakes to a certain extent.
Despite these minor flaws, this film tied heart-warming, comedic, and sci-fi aspects all in one, creating a remarkable experience for the viewer. If you are a fan of any of these genres, this movie is definitely worth the watch.